


The Raven and the Grim

by crimsonpeaksiriusblack



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Dysfunctional Relationships, F/M, First War with Voldemort, Healing, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, Politics, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, first order of the phoenix
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:41:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27090643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crimsonpeaksiriusblack/pseuds/crimsonpeaksiriusblack
Summary: A lack of judgment causes the lives of Aurora Allen and Sirius Black to forever become intertwined. With the threat of the First Wizarding War looming over them, can the two find a way to work together and save the ones they love before it's too late? Marauder era with eventual time jump to 1990s.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Orion Black/Walburga Black, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius Black/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	1. The Raven and the Grim

**December 17, 1977**

Madam Pomfrey fusses over Aurora for a long time before she is finally discharged from the hospital wing with an extra bottle of Pepperup Potion and a handful of chocolate bars. Not having the courage to immediately return to the Ravenclaw common room, Aurora opts to seek refuge in the school library instead. With this being both a Hogsmeade weekend and the last Saturday before the Christmas holiday; Aurora is confident that the reading room will be next to empty.

Quiet as a mouse, she borrows a spare _Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7_ from Madam Pince and finds a seat in the back of the room. She has every intention of getting a head start on her homework for the upcoming week and putting this week's unfortunate events behind her.

Aurora spots some spare parchment and a few left-over quills and busies herself in her work. She is so immersed in the process of turning solid bread back into dough that she fails to recognize the figure that slithers into the seat just opposite of her.

"My brother is a real tosser. Thinks that life is one big joke. Has no regard for anyone but himself," the young Slytherin states this without a hint of malice in his voice, as if these words were just simple truths.

Aurora sighs and looks up from her textbook, not really in the right state of mind to be considered pleasant company.

"What do you want Regulus?" she asks in an annoyed tone. "I really don't have time for this."

"Why didn't your parents come?" he continues as if she had not spoken, "Surely Dumbledore has notified them by now?"

Aurora winces at the implication. He _knows_ why they did not come. Everybody always seems to know what her parents are up to. With her father serving as Minister of Magic and her mother being a legendary curse-breaker, her parents were nothing short of being celebrities in the wizarding world.

Their every meeting, every outing, every movement is always being closely monitored by the press and by extension the wizarding community at large. The price of fame and fortune means that the family enjoys no sense of a private life. This also means that their daughter has no sense of a private life either.

Currently, her father is meeting with the muggle Prime Minister in London and her mother is on a secret expedition in Siberia looking for a cursed object of some sort. Appius Allen has sent his daughter a vague letter about _the incident_ and has promised that they will discuss it when she returns home for Christmas. Aurora is not looking forward to that discussion.

"Just leave me alone, okay, I don't want to talk about this." as she speaks, she is also quickly gathering her things. Her body stands to leave.

Regulus Black rises from his chair at the same time that she does. He opens his mouth as if to say more, but then thinks better of it. He does not follow her when she exists the library abruptly.

Hurriedly turning the corner in search for the Ravenclaw Tower, Aurora hears a voice that makes her blood go cold.

"Oi, Allen, wait up!"

She stops in her tracks and pivots to come face to face with the boy that she has now come to despise. Not far behind him are his three moronic friends. All of them are sporting oafish grins on their faces. All except Lupin, who at least has the decency to look ashamed as he keeps his eyes fixated on the floor.

"Dumbledore has _commanded_ ," Sirius rolls his eyes as he says this, "that I apologize to you, so when you see him you can mention that I've done it."

Aurora laughs ironically, "You call that an apology?"

Students returning from Hogsmeade have now began to gather around the Minister's daughter and the Marauders. Following the scandalous events from Thursday night, the student body is keen to bear witness to any follow up drama between the two sides. Looking behind him, James intends on controlling the outcome of the discussion.

"Lighten up, will you?" he frowns slightly, "It was only a prank. No need to get your knickers in a twist." This statement earns him a few chuckles from the growing crowd.

At the growing number of people now stopping to watch them, Aurora starts to feel uneasy. This situation is practically unfolding in the same way that it did a few days ago. Regardless, she is more determined to stand her ground this time around.

"A prank? A prank?" Aurora feels her voice rising, "It wasn't funny! You are the worst! The most despicable, most vile, most egregious, most unfeeling snake that I have ever met-"

Sirius narrows his grey eyes at her, "Nobody forced you to spill your guts in those letters. Nobody forced you to meet me at the boathouse. Nobody forced you to get lost in the Forbidden Forest. You're just embarrassed that you were thick enough to believe that someone could actually care for you."

Aurora does not wait for Sirius Black to continue. She pushes past the group and dashes toward her common room.

The bronze knocker blocks her entrance into the tower with a riddle:

"I speak without a mouth,

I hear without ears,

I have no body,

But I come alive with wind.

What am I?"

"A secret?" the door does not budge, "No, you're an echo."

The door swings open. Aurora barely makes it onto her bed when the tears begin to flow. Her sobbing becomes so loud that her dormmates are quick to shuffle out, leaving her alone with her misery.

* * *

It had started earlier summer. She had been at home, alone as usual, when out of the blue one day a peculiar letter had arrived by owl. It supposedly came from someone calling themselves _an aspiring poet._ The letter had stated that they admired her wit and her work with the Interhouse Cooperation Club (a club that she had co-founded back in her fourth year).

At first, Aurora thinks that the letter is someone's idea of a joke and so she ignores it. But the letters keep coming. No seal. No signature. No indication whatsoever who the sender was. As the summer drags on, she became more intrigued.

On a whim, she responds to one the letters and before she knows it, the two parties are corresponding frequently. The sender reveals parts of themselves through secret riddles in their letters. Aurora is clever enough to keep tabs of everything that she learns about the _poet_ in her journal.

The handwriting is exceptionally neat and the distinct lopping of their _p's_ leds Aurora to believe that the writer is a girl. When she teases the sender about her suspicions, he assures her that he is most certainly not a girl. For some reason she believes him. He explains that his cursive skills are a result of penmanship classes that his mother forces him to take.

From this, Aurora has deduced that this mystery man must a pureblood based on traditions like these that are almost exclusive to pureblood families. However, his knowledge of Muggle literature throws her for a loop. _How could he possibly know about Shakespeare? Tolstoy? Dickens?_ Aside from the Potters, Prewetts, Weasleys and Longbottoms, very few pureblood families allow their children to occupy themselves with Muggle hobbies.

 _Perhaps he is a half-blood?_ His knowledge and disdain for pureblood traditions contractes the idea that he is from a mixed family. With that in mind, Aurora is reluctantly forced to abandon thoughts about his blood status for the time being. Not that it matters anyway. Another piece of the puzzle, really.

As the school year progresses, she had expected that the letters would stop, but they only intensify. Soon the pair are writing to one another a few times a week. At breakfast, she often scans the Great Hall desperately looking for anything out of the ordinary that would lead her to the mystery wizard. She never finds anything.

Disappointed at her lack of being able to solve the riddle, Aurora has turned her attention toward studying for her N.E.W.T.S. Her responses to the poet become shorter and she could tell that he is getting frustrated by her lack of engagement. It is around that time that her admirer requests to meet after dinner on the 15th. At the boathouse.

* * *

**December 15, 1977**

She remembers that day very well.

"You look pleased," Remus smiles slightly, pulling out his Transfiguration textbook.

"Pardon?" she looks at him distractedly.

"I mean that you don't usually look this happy."

"Are you implying that I don't like transfiguration? I'll have you know that I quiet enjoy it," she smiles again involuntarily.

She is meeting her pen pal for the first time. She has a right to be somewhat excited.

Remus shakes his head. At this point, only Bertram Aubrey knows the truth about her secret poet after he sees one of the letters in the common room and inquires about it. Aubrey comes to the conclusion that _the poet_ is a fake and has advised Aurora to stop responding.

However in this moment, Aurora decides to confide in Remus. He will not betray her secrets. She knows about his lycanthropy. She can trust him. _Besides, another interpretation could only be helpful, right? Two heads are better than one?_

When McGonagall turns her back to the class, Aurora quietly murmurs her story to her seatmate. In hindsight, his lack of surprise and subsequent nervous demeanour had been a dead giveaway that he knew more than he was letting on.

"Maybe," he hesitates. "Maybe you shouldn't meet this person."

"Why not?" she scoffs. "Because he could be dangerous? I know my share of curses. I am trained in the Dark Arts and I'm quite fond of a certain Bat-Bogey Hex."

Remus looks even more agitated than before.

"Maybe he's ugly. Or maybe he's–"

She waves her hand, "Who cares if he's ugly. I'm not looking to date the bloke. I just want a friend."

Aurora flinches at what she just said. She had not meant to reveal the extent of her loneliness to the Gryffindor. At her admission, Remus shoots her a melancholic sideways glance.

The bell rings and the two go their separate ways. Remus looks back at Aurora's retreating figure, but she is too consumed in her own world to notice.

She decides to skip dinner. The reason? Well, her rational goes like this. First impressions do matter. Every pureblood knows this. She wants to make sure that if this bloke is cute that she does not jeopardize an opportunity to turn this friendship into potentially something more.

With that in mind, she goes to work styling her hair into a partial updo. For good measure, she even uses a splash of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion. She chooses a softer makeup look rather than her usual smokey eye and dark lipstick combination.

* * *

The snowstorm picks up just as she steps foot outside. Shivering slightly, she wraps her blue and bronze coloured scarf more securely around her neck and slips on a pair of grey gloves. Walking slowly, she savours the evening night and catches snowflakes on her tongue. The air is brimming with magic and anticipation.

She enters the dilapidated shed and peers around the room cautiously, lest this be an elaborate hoax to lure her away from the castle for some unseemly reason. This has been an original concern of hers to which _the poet_ has assured her that his intentions are well-meaning. _We should make certain moments count… I'm scared too, but we're in this together right?_

Inhaling softly, she lights the tip of her wand and makes her way to the edge of the dock. The waning moonlight streaming from outside bathes the building in an ominous light. Aurora can see her breath and shivers again.

A tall figure is leaning against a dock pole with his back to the approaching Aurora. He takes a drag of his fag and flicks it into the water before abruptly turning around. Sirius Black now stands face to face with Aurora Allen. A moment passes before a trademark smirk plays across his handsome face. She cannot help but gasp.

"You actually came? Wow." The young wizard genuinely looks surprised.

"What – what are you doing here?" she is confused, really confused. _Black is the aspiring poet? But he's a clown! A buffoon! His family is dark!_

"I'm your secret admirer." he actually has the audacity to wink at her. "Surprised?"

"No – no – no you're not. You can't be, you don't read Muggle literature…" she is shaking her head. Remus must have told Sirius her secret and now he is here to tease her about it.

"Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow," he quotes Shakespeare straight out of one of her letters. _No, this cannot be happening._

"But how did you…?" she trails off, not liking for a minute where this is going.

Snickering in the background causes her to jump. Multiple students soon step out of the shadows, all sporting triumphed grins. She begins to feel like a deer cornered by a pack of wolves.

"Moony did all the hard work. Figuring out about your interests and all. Who would have thought that you were such a miserable wreck?" James Potter's voice spooks her. _Where did he come from?_

"Wait! This is my favourite part." She glances toward the direction of a new voice.

Peter Pettigrew is holding one of her letters. The broken wax seal bears the Allen crest. Her heart sinks in her chest.

"Sometimes I feel so unwanted. So unloved. After my brother was born a Squib, my mother prayed to Odin for another son. She's always been so disappointed me…My father sees me as a bargaining tool, something to be paraded around. To be showed off at parties, like some priceless jewel…I dream of a life that is my own…When I write to you, I don't feel so alone…Do you feel the same way? Are you alone too...Do you want to be my friend?"

At the last part, everybody in the room bursts into laughter. Aurora mostly recognizes the faces of the Gryffindor students, but there are Slytherins, Hufflepuffs and a few Ravenclaws too that she does not recognize. She feels ill.

"Poor little rich girl," Sirius drawls. "Why no friends? Is it because you love the Dark Arts? Well, I'm sure the Slytherins would take you in. Oh wait, they don't like blood traitors. Guess it sucks to be you."

"I'm not a dark witch!" she narrows her eyes. "Considering where you come from, I'd say that honour belongs to you."

"WHY YOU–" He steps forward with his wand outstretched. James is quick to react by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Padfoot, I'm sure Rory didn't mean-" Sirius shakes him off.

"There's a reason that you don't have any friends, you're a stuck-up pureblood prude who walks around as if she owns the place. We all know what your mother went to Durmstrang. You hang out with Death Eaters." A few of the Slytherins hiss at the accusation.

"YOU'RE AN IDIOT" Aurora is shouting, "THAT'S WHAT THE COOPERATION CLUB IS FOR. TO BREAKDOWN MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT OTHER HOUSES. IF YOU CAME TO ANY OF THE MEETINGS YOU'D SEE!"

"You're nothing but a loner and a loser. How could you think that any bloke would want you, even as a friend?"

"You're a prick." Her eyes begin to water.

"What did you do to your hair?" Sirius' voice is softer, more dangerous. "Merlin's trousers! Did actually try to look good?" People are starting to laugh again.

Tears are starting to stream down her cheeks. She looks at Remus, who lifts his head to meet hers.

"How could you?" her voice is barely above a whisper before she takes off.

* * *

Hugging her frame tightly, she begins to walk in a dangerous direction. She is too lost in thought to pay any attention to her surroundings. Too busy chastising herself for being so careless, so foolish. She is heartbroken.

Before Aurora even realizes where she is going, she has now entered the Forbidden Forest. Her fingertips and toes begin to freeze and the tears on her eyelashes crystallize. _Oh no, this isn't good._ She turns to take in her surroundings. _W_ _here am I?_ Her heart begins to pound. If she cannot find her way back soon, she will die of exposure.

She walks around the forest for what feels like hours. The temperature has dropped from when she originally stepped out of the castle. She is shivering so violently that her teeth are chattering uncontrollably.

In the event that a search party is out looking for her, she decides to stay put in one place. Aurora finds a few dry branches and bunches them together to resemble a hearth. With a flick of her wand, she conjures a small fire and rubs her hands together to keep warm. At least the snow has stopped, and the night is now clear.

Gazing into the flames, she lets her mind wander to happier thoughts. _Drinking warm apple cider with Blinky on Christmas Eve. Learning about Ancient Runes with her grandfather. Her brother Doak taking her to her first muggle rock concert back in Norway last spring._

She blinks back tears again. _Maybe James Potter is right. I am a miserable wreck._

A bright light catches her attention as she diverts her attention to the heavens. A shooting star passes above her so quickly that she almost misses it. _Please don't let me die out here._

A tree branch snaps behind her effectively emptying her mind of any further thoughts. The outline of something massive and black swerves into her line of sight. She is confronted by a pair of gleaming eyes and a set of raised sharp teeth. She backs away slowly before stumbling and falling to the snow-covered floor. _The Grim._ _Merlin help me._

Without a second thought, she begins to sprint in the opposite direction. Aurora can feel the creature running after her. She turns back every so often to throw a hex at the shaggy dog. It dodges them easily and proceeds to advance toward her.

Sweating, panting and running for her life, she begins to scream.

"Who's d'er?" a gruff voice calls out.

"HAGRID, RUN, IT'S THE GRIM, RUN!" Aurora shrieks, running right into the gentle giant.

"Aurora, blimey, t'ank Merlin I found t'er," he grips her shoulders tightly. "Let's getcha in'ter da castle, they be worried aboutcha."

"THE GRIM DON'T YOU SEE?" she turns around expecting to see the monster right behind her.

Hagrid peers above her shoulders, "There's nothing out d'er."

She collapses.

* * *

**December 23, 1977**

Aurora cannot wait to get away from Hogwarts for the holiday season. The last week of classes have been absolutely brutal. Everywhere she goes people tease her mercilessly about the incident with Sirius and the other Marauders. Some make kissing noises at her. Others throw things in her hair. The Slytherin girls would whisper loudly and shriek whenever she passes by.

"I heard she tried to nosh off Black and that's why he messed with her. Didn't want that toad touching him."

"I heard she noshes off Flitwick, that's why she's always in his office at lunch and that's the real reason she got an O in Charms last year."

"TEN POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!" a familiar voice reacts before she can.

The girls squeal in protest, but Aurora does not wait to see what happens next.

"Heard the Grim gave you quite the fright, Allen!" Sirius calls out, as he and James come up behind a dishevelled looking Remus. "Best stay of the Forbidden Forest then!" This statement earns Sirius an elbow to the ribs from his best mate.

"Don't," James frowns as he says this.

Without looking back, Aurora walks into the Transfiguration classroom and takes her usual seat at the front of the room. _How did he know about her seeing the Grim? Surely Hagrid hadn't said anything…_

A moment later, Remus sinks into the seat next to her. Her body goes rigid. She had really hoped that he would not sit next to her today. She has deliberately avoided all the Marauders this week and she intends to do so for the remainder of the school year.

"I'm a Prefect too, Lupin. I didn't need you there to take points from your own House." She breaks the silence only to be interrupted by an uninvited voice.

"Here this copy is for you." Penny Parkinson slides a leaflet onto her desk with an evil glint in her eye. Remus peers over to get a better look.

'The Whore of Hogwarts: The Attempted Seduction of Sirius Black–'

Aurora crumples the leaflet as soon as she reads the title and throws it into her bookbag. _Great. Now Black's fan club was after her too. Perfect._

"Listen Rory," Remus begins clearly distressed by what he has just seen, "I just wanted to-"

"Don't Lupin, just don't," her eyes take on a murderous look. "Don't say another word unless you want everyone to know about your _furry little problem."_ She draws out the words slowly.

"Please I just – you see Padfoot didn't mean for it to go that far…" He goes on, but she stops hearing him as her thoughts begin running wild.

_Padfoot? What kind of stupid nickname is that? Isn't it a kind of dog? Where have I heard that name before…Padfoot is another name for hellhound, right? Or is it another name for Garmr? The old Norse word for the wolfdog that guards the gates of Hel. Wait a second…Grim…Padfoot is another name for Grim…_

"It's another name for Grim," she is barely able to choke out the sentence.

"-And then when it was too late, and I tried to warn you not to go down there.. wait what?" Remus finally stops rambling to look at her.

"He's the Grim isn't he?" She gives him her deadliest glare, "The same way you're _Moony_ right?"

"I – uh – not sure what you're-" the panic flashes in his eyes before he has a chance to compose himself.

"Liar," she hisses back. "And what are James and Peter; Prongs and Wormtail is it?" she shows him no mercy.

"You can't – I don't know what you mean – I umm…" He clamps his mouth shut and does not utter another word to her for the rest of the lesson.

Chuckling to herself, she pulls out her leather-bound notebook and writes down this new information.

_Sirius Black (nickname Padfoot) is either cursed or is an Animagus that can transform into a large dog that resembles the Grim (most likely it's the former)_

_Remus Lupin (nickname Moony) is afflicted with lycanthropy_

_James Potter (nickname Prongs) another Animagus? More likely than not. Probably takes the form of a ram, or a goat?_

_Peter Pettigrew (nickname Wormtail) another Animagus? 4/4? Probably takes the form of an opossum._

Very curious indeed.


	2. Uninvited Dinner Guests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurora returns home to find her parents plotting. The Allens pay a visit to some old friends. Appius makes Sirius an offer he cannot possibly refuse.

**December 25, 1977**

Aurora is worried. Her parents are clearly up to something. She has not seen them for two days since she has arrived at the Allen Estate for Christmas. Then this morning after opening their Christmas parcels and having a light breakfast, her mother whisks her upstairs to take a bath. Neither one of them mentions what had happened at school.

Aurora is now lying in a grand clawfoot tub, soaking in citrus and chamomile bath oils all the while Veiga runs a brush through her dark hair. Not being able to stand the silence, Aurora clears her throat.

"Mother I – "

"Not now Aurora," she slides the brush almost angrily down her daughter's back. "Your father and I have been discussing what we should do about the incident with the Black boy."

Aurora keeps her mouth shut.

"We have decided to postpone our Christmas party this year. With everything that is going on at the moment, it no longer seems entirely appropriate." Veiga has a serious expression on her face now, "Tonight, I need you to be silent. Your father and I have a plan. But we need to play your part. Can you act like the obedient daughter?"

 _When has she ever acted any different?_ Aurora says nothing and just nods to indicate her complacency. Veiga smiles slightly and kisses the top of Aurora's head.

She steps off to the side and holds a velvet, burgundy dress robe* to her chest, "You'll wear this."

The dress is magnificent and fits like a glove on Aurora's figure. The silver trim flows in swirls giving the entire look a regal feel. A diamond encrusted belt extenuates her small waist and draws attention to the ornate Nutcracker military jacket design that rests below her neck. Veiga leaves her hair in ringlets down her back and fastens a silver hairclip resembling forest leaves across the back of her head. Aurora feels extraordinarily beautiful to say the least.

When she eventually descends the staircase, she finds her father decked out in his best suit. Not a hair is out of place. Next to him, her mother stands. She is wearing expensive robes lined with grey and white wolf furs.*** Her thick, blonde hair is plaited into a tight bun. Silver spikes frame the shoulders of the renowned curse-breaker. Veiga Vidar Allen is ready for battle.

Appius nods at his daughter approvingly, "Perfection. Now come, we are late for dinner with the Potters."

* * *

Fleamont Potter answers the door with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Minister, ah Appius - Happy Christmas old friend! I wasn't expecting you…You're just in time for dinner," he gestures for Aurora's father to step inside. "And you've brought the ladies too, Happy Christmas!" He politely nods at them both in greeting.

"I am afraid that this is not a social call, Fleamont. I need to speak with your sons." Appius says all this in a very imposing tone.

"Oh, James and Sirius?" He asks, clearly confused.

Appius gives him a small smile, "Unless you have other sons that I do not know about?"

"No, of course not," Fleamont blushes at his stumble. "They're playing wizarding chess in the dining room…this isn't anything serious I hope?" A crease forms across his forehead.

Appius ponders his response carefully, "Not unless your sons behave reasonably. They are both of age, so I do not require your consent to speak with them."

He gestures to Veiga to bring forward the gifts that they have brought, "We do not come empty handed, Mr. Potter."

She hands the delicately wrapped packages to Fleamont, "Finest chocolates in all of Norway."

The old man nods, clearly alarmed now, "Thank you. I'll uhh leave these in the kitchen with Euphemia." He jerks his head to the right, "Room's that way."

"I know my way. Thank you Fleamont." Appius and the two women leave Fleamont standing puzzled in the front foyer with stacks of gifts in his arms.

* * *

"Happy Christmas, gentlemen!" Appius startles the two boys out of what Aurora guesses is a very intense game of chess, "I hope we are not interrupting?"

"Not at all, Mr. Allen, I was just about to beat Sirius…" James makes a gesture to indicate his near victory.

With a flick of his wand, the board is vanquished and the Minister of Magic gestures to the empty seats at the table.

"May we?"

"Of course," James stands to pull out a chair for Veiga, while Sirius does the same thing for Aurora. "To what do we owe the pleasure? Dad didn't tell us that you were coming."

Appius does not answer the question, but Veiga does.

"Boys, have I ever told you the story of how my husband won my hand in marriage?" Her eyes sparkle like that of a great storyteller.

The two Gryffindors shake their heads and share a confused look. They clearly did not appreciate wherever this was going.

"You see my father, Bjorn, was a great warrior, came from a line of great heroes. Descendants of the Viking Wars all those years ago. He was a firm believer in codes of honour. Honour in battle. Honour toward one's neighbours. Honour toward women," she pauses to gauge their reaction. James is nodding, but Sirius is glaring daggers at Aurora.

Obviously whatever is going on is entirely her fault.

Veiga continues, "My father believed firmly in the honour codes established by my ancestors especially with regards to courting." She purses her lips at husband.

Not a second later, Euphemia comes bustling in with trays of food. The lively witch pushes plates as large as saucers in front of the five people.

Roast beef is accompanied by golden brown potatoes, sautéed Brussels sprouts and a side of Yorkshire pudding to go with a delicate mint sauce. The two boys stare hungrily at their plates. Not to be outdone by herself, Euphemia levitates a plate of Cumberland sausages and mince meat pies into the room - on the off chance that her guests are feeling extra peckish. A steaming teapot and a bowl of Cornish pasties are the last items to be placed on the table.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" with a swish of her wand, pumpkin juice fills their goblets.

"Thank you, Mia. It looks delightful."

The grey-haired witch beams up at Appius. "Oh it's nothing. Monty and I will be in the kitchen when you've wrapped up. We'll be having Christmas cake for dessert."

She shoots a worried glance at the boys. Once she leaves and everyone begins tucking into their supper, Appius finished Veiga's tale.

"I had expressed interest in courting Veiga very early on and began to put my affections in writing." The two teenage boys exchange an alarmed look.

The Minister pretends that he does not notice.

"I knew that in her culture, I had to be very cautious with how I handled the situation. As any respectable gentleman, I approached her father. I introduced myself and spoke of my intention to wed his daughter as soon as possible."

"And obviously you were successful," James interrupts wanting to bring an end to this awkward conversation.

"Not quite. You see her father wanted to see if I was worthy enough for her. Both in wit and bravery. The former I could demonstrate easily… the latter not so much..." He trails off before continuing,"Bjorn assigned me my first task to test my wit. I was to meet him in an open field, neither dressed nor undressed, neither fasting nor eating, neither alone nor in company." He pauses again to allow Veiga the honour of continuing the story.

"My husband shows up to the clearing, dressed in a net fashioned into a toga, biting an apple, and with only his owl for a companion."

Sirius chuckles, "As for the task to test your bravery?"

The Minister answers his inquiry with narrowed eyes, "Bjorn set upon me a bear as tall as a house. I killed it with a spear," Appius stalls for dramatic effect. "He then sent a hellhound after me. I strangled it with my bare hands." He takes a sip of his pumpkin juice, "A man can move mountains for love."

Nobody in the room breathes. Appius reaches into his breast pocket and pulls out two pieces of parchment and slides it toward James and Sirius. Aurora notices that one of them is the leaflet that Parkinson had shown her on Friday and the other is a preview of the next edition of the Daily Prophet. _Where did he get that from?_

Aurora cannot see the entire headline, but she briefly catches a few bolded words: Minister's daughter, misunderstood heir to the House of Black, scandal at Hogwarts… She looks down at her plate and surprises an urge to vomit. Glancing up, the Marauders have similar worried expressions.

Appius wipes his mouth his napkin before he speaks again, "Mr. Black, it appears that you've caused quite the scandal," he chuckles without humour. "You've managed to carelessly destroy my only daughter's reputation. And by extension my own. A reputation that I have spent an entire lifetime cultivating."

"It was a prank-" Sirius begins slowly, feeling the Allens' eyes on him. The bitter part of Aurora smirks internally. _Now he's the one that now looks like a deer surrounded by a pack of wolves._

"A prank?" Her father's voice cuts across the space.

Aurora has always admired that quality about him. He always has the innate ability to make anything you say sound stupid.

"No, my dear child-"

Sirius stiffens at the scolding and then stands without warning, placing his outstretched hands on the table to steady himself, "I'M A MAN!"

BOOM. Veiga has drawn out a long dagger and stabs it into the dinning room table, right between the space between Sirius' index and ring finger. Half a millimetre more and it would have gone through his hand.

"Then act like it," she hisses so violently that everyone except Appius flinches.

To break the tension, James attempts a jest, "Blimey, Mrs. Allen, good shot."

She turns to him, a dark expression now overriding her angelic features, "What are you talking about? I missed…"

Not missing a beat, Appius continues. He is used to his wife's violent outbursts, "You have acted recklessly, irresponsibly and with very little regard for the feelings of others. Now I don't blame you entirely Mr. Black, growing up with those parents of yours, the genetic repercussions alone…"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sirius asks incredulously.

"Well," Veiga drawls out in an almost seductive voice, "you know what they say about the Blacks. All that inbreeding. Every time one is born, the Fates flip a coin. Mad or not mad?"

Sirius rises to stand again, but James is quick to pull him down, "Minister Allen, I hate to be rude, but what do you want? It is Christmas after all, and Sirius and I have things to do."

"As of tomorrow, this story will be published and distributed across the British wizarding world. More likely than not it will also be published abroad given my family's connection to the international wizarding community. My daughter will be labelled a harlot of some sort, make no mistake. Unable to marry into any respectable family that I had my sights set on. Mr. Black will be labelled a scoundrel. And the scandal alone will probably cost me the next election. I have no power to silence the press. Nor will any attempts to do so will be successful. Once a story comes out, it's out there forever." Appius sighs and leans back in his chair.

"I have no problem being labelled a scoundrel. I know what I am. This sounds like a _you_ problem." Sirius remarks.

"It's no secret that I do not like your family, Mr. Black. I despise their pureblood supremacy antics and I find their views on Squibs and Muggle-borns to be reprehensible. In fact, I think that the Allens and the Blacks have been at each other's throats for over a century." He smiles ruefully and pointedly ignores Sirius' earlier statement.

"My family means nothing to me," Sirius growls and clenches his fist. "They're a bunch of wannabe Death Eaters. I want no part of that."

"I am glad that we are on the same page. That brings me to the fruit of this discussion. I propose a solution that will benefit everyone. You will marry my daughter–" Gasps from all three teenagers at the table. Appius holds up a hand to silence them.

"You will marry my daughter in a quick and quiet ceremony. No more guests than necessary. We submit a counter story to the Prophet, announcing your whirlwind wedding. A _Romeo and Juliet_ spin will do quite nicely, I think."

"A what?" Sirius raises an eyebrow.

"You should know," Aurora speaks for the first time that evening and all heads swivel in her direction, "Shakespeare wrote it. One of the greatest love stories of all time." Sirius looks at her intently, as if seeing her for the first time.

"No. Absolutely not. I won't marry your daughter. I've just turned eighteen. Neither you, nor my parents can make me." Sirius shakes his head vehemently and Aurora feels a pit form in her belly.

"Is my daughter not good enough for you?" Veiga's voice rises.

"It's not that," Sirius runs a hand through his hair. "I don't want to get married. Ever. It's just not for me."

"Like he said," James keeps his voice light. "He doesn't want to marry Rory. And frankly I don't see her wanting to marry him either. Sorry, but you've lost this battle."

"Oh young Mr. Potter, I think not. You see my wife and I came her like civilized people, giving this young man a chance to own up to his mistake. Make this right. His refusal is forcing our hand." Her father takes a sip of tea before he continues, "Your biological family nor your adopted family can force you into this marriage. You are of age. An adult in the eyes of the law."

Sirius' face takes on a smug expression. He thinks he has won. _Not so fast Black. My father is just getting ready for the kill shot._

"And as an adult, you must follow the rules as set out by the Ministry. All of the rules. Otherwise you go to Azkaban." He adds a sugar cube to his tea and watches as it dissolves in the hot liquid.

Sirius scoffs, "I haven't broken the law. You're grasping at straws if you think you can frame me for anything."

"Last time I checked, being an unregistered Animagus warrants a lifetime sentence in Azkaban." Her father wastes no time in dropping the bomb.

The room is so silent that you can hear a pin drop.

"I have no idea what you're talking about–"

"No? You don't transform into a black dog that resembles the Grim?" Glancing her way, her father addresses her directly, "Will you pass the scones, dear? I'd hate for them to go to waste."

"Mr. Allen, Sirius is not an–"

"We know that you are one as well, Mr. Potter. Although I cannot be sure of your exact form. Something with horns…a ram or an ox perhaps?"

"Or a stag," Veiga inserts and James flinches involuntarily.

"Bingo." Appius leans forward, "I suppose we can get you double cells. Oh, and one for Mr. Pettigrew and Mr. Lupin as well."

"Moony has done nothing wrong!" Sirius stands again and James pulls him back into his chair.

"Aiding and abetting others while they commit a crime, is still a crime, I'm afraid. My own brother was killed by a werewolf and Lyall Lupin is a friend of mine, so I am indeed sympathetic to his son's affliction. However, I cannot play favourites when it comes to who the rules apply to."

"And what of your wife?" Sirius sneers in Veiga's direction. "There are rumours that she practices the Dark Arts. Is a follower of You-Know-Who."

"Being a practitioner of the Dark Arts is not a crime in and of itself. If there was ever any evidence that my wife was a Death Eater, I would put her on trial immediately. She would expect nothing less."

"Unless you buried the evidence," Sirius mutters darkly.

"If your own lives are not enough, let me provide more incentive," Appius focuses on James again, "I don't know if your father has told you this, but he will be attending a hearing presided by the Wizengamot in a few months time. Another wizard is claiming that your father stole his secret recipe for the Sleekeazy Potion. I have no idea whether this is true or not." Appius gives James an unwavering stare.

"However, if they rule against your father, you will lose everything. This house. Your family fortune. Your family's honour." Veiga speaks up once more, "My husband's position as Head of the Ministry can ensure that Fleamont's case is heard by the right witches and wizards…" She trails off leaving the implication clear.

"You bastard," James is shaking with rage. "My father is your friend. He trusts you. The wizarding community trusts you and now you go around blackmailing people? This is absurd."

"What's absurd is that the two of you have the power to decide your fates. On the one hand Sirius marries our daughter. He gains a beautiful, powerful and exceedingly rich wife. You boys stay out of Azkaban. Fleamont keeps his gold and enjoys the remainder of his retirement in peace." The boys exchange another look and Aurora can barely breathe. _This is madness._

"On the other hand, the four of you go to Azkaban for the rest of your days. You probably won't last a year. Fleamont and Euphemia lose everything and are forced into the poorhouse. Everybody loses."

Sirius looks at the ceiling, as if looking for a sign for above that will save him from his predicament.

"I don't love Aurora." She makes eye contact with him as he says this, "Doesn't that count for anything?"

"As a fellow pureblood, I am sure that you have heard this before Mr. Black, love is irrelevant to people like us."

"How can you say that?" James is livid, as if his entire world was falling apart. "How can you let them do this?" He is pointing an accusing finger at Aurora now.

"Potter," Aurora exhales slowly. "I've learned a long time ago that my parents are always one step ahead of me. I cannot disobey them."

"YES, YOU COULD! YOU COULD MAN UP AND GET A JOB WHEN YOU GRADUATE! FIND YOUR OWN PLACE. STARS, ARE YOU THAT THICK?" Sirius bellows as if she has the power to undo what has already been done.

"Aurora wishes to become a Healer at St. Mungo's. I approve all the final hiring decisions. She has no relatives that would go against us to take her in. She will not have access to our fortune until my wife and I have passed. Or until she turns twenty-five." Appius lays out the situation plainly.

Sirius stands and leans across the table, begging Aurora to fix the situation, "Please you can't want this. You can find friends to live with. Work at the Hog's Head as a barmaid…"

"I don't have any friends," Aurora grits her teeth. "As you so kindly like to remind me."

"You would advise my daughter, the student who is set to graduate with a stellar record, with a Medal for Magical Merit and the sole heir of Morgan Le Fey to settle for a life of poverty and servitude? Why Black, you really must be mad!" Veiga laughs.

"Again Mr. Black the choice is simple. In exchange for your _cooperation,_ I offer you your freedom. On top of that, you marry into one of the most influential wizarding families of all time. Upon my death, you acquire my fortune and the Allen Estate, effectively making you the richest man in England. Your heirs will carry the blood of the most powerful witch in history. All you must do is marry a charming, virtuous and wise young woman. Who knows, maybe in time you will grow to love one another?"

"I don't want any of that."

Aurora winces. _Was she really that bad? Was the thought of marrying her so repulsive that he would rather go to prison? That he would so easily reject all that her father was offering him?_

"So, you don't want to be become an Auror then?" Appius' question peeks Sirius' interest. "Yes, I have seen your application. Aside from your lengthy disciplinary record, your school marks indicate a rather bright mind lingers beyond that thick skull of yours. You would otherwise make a great addition to the team."

"Another incentive, then?" Sirius huffs, "I've already told you that marriage is not for me. Besides, doesn't marriage restrict freedom rather than encourage it?"

"Some men may argue that," Appius' demeanour does not change. "However your personal discomfort might not be sufficient reason to put the entire world in jeopardy."

"What do you mean?" James looks exhausted at this point.

"We are the midst of a war. Darkness rises and the light must be ready to meet it with equal force. I cannot have the wizarding community distracted by nonsense such as this," he irritably gestures at the article in the Prophet.

"You see this as being an important political match, then?" The gears in Aurora's head are rotating, "A symbolic union between two seemingly opposite sides of the war."

"Precisely." Appius' eyes are gleaming as Aurora is finally catching on to the bigger picture, "We have always represented the more tolerant, more progressive side of the pureblood inner circle. The Blacks have always stood for the opposite. The traditional ways of doing things. A merger between the two sides is exactly what we need right now–"

"I told you that I don't have anything to do with my family! My mother has disowned me! And I won't be your political puppet!" Sirius is more than annoyed.

"We don't care about you, _per se_ ," Veiga is enjoying his anger. "We only care about _your name_."

"Please," James looks at the three Allens sitting in front of him, "Sirius and I are trying to find a way to fight against -"

"Yes, we all know that Dumbledore is recruiting senior students for his Order of the Phoenix," The young men are surprised by this revelation. "Unfortunately, my wife and I will not be joining any time soon. We are not keen on the idea of a paramilitary organization composed of newly graduated Hogwarts students leading the fight against You-Know-Who, but luckily for Albus, I have too many leaks at the Ministry that have to be dealt with first."

"Coward," Sirius grumbles.

"No, more like a pragmatist," Appius counters, "We are all fighting this war in our own way, Mr. Black. Don't forget that."

"Ugh," James exhales and closes his eyes, "Can we at least have some time to think about this?"

"Certainly. Ladies?" Appius stands. Veiga and Aurora follow suit.

The Minister raises his wand and the plates of food disappear, to be replaced by James' wizarding chess board. The well-dressed wizard stares down at the board for a moment. He shifts a piece and effectively traps Sirius' king in one move.

"Checkmate, Mr. Black."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Aurora's Christmas outfit: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/719801952932566095/  
> ** Aurora's hair piece: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/719801952933086426/  
> *** Veiga's Christmas robes: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/719801952932565731/


	3. Lion's Den

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurora and Sirius unexpectedly run into one another. James convinces Sirius to give his fiancée a chance. Lily ponders looking past her boyfriend's actions, as he tries to make amends with the Minister's daughter.

**January 1978**

The winter season continues to rage on well into the students' return from Christmas break. The rising sun of the morning brings out the purity of the heaven-given snow, as if it is a blank page for merriment, inviting the feet to play and the spirit to laugh. _The kind of day that inspires poetry._ Aurora grimaces at the thought as she makes her way to the Owlery right before classes begin for the day.

She needs to send a quick reply message to Belby. A few follow up questions arose last night when she read over his notes about mixing the moonwort powder with the aconite concentration prior to boiling the entire brew. These next few months are going to be intense as the duo work toward finalizing their Wolfsbane Potion.

She is in the process of reprimanding herself for not wearing her scarf when a dreary gust of wind causes her to cringe in despair. Aurora carefully ascends the staircase of the circular stone room, adjusting her eyes to the breaking daylight. A single misstep on an icy patch of stone on the upper landing causes her to stumble and fall forward. Before her face can make contact with the straw-covered floor, a pair of strong arms steady her in place.

"Watch it," a voice cautions quietly. "Wouldn't want to ruin that pretty face."

"What are you doing here, Black?" Aurora cannot believe her luck.

He seems to be everywhere she goes, and it is only their first week back at Hogwarts. She shakes herself out of his firm grasp.

"Same as you," he holds up a rolled-up piece of parchment. "Sending a letter…I'm giving your father my answer."

"And?"

"And, isn't it obvious? I'm not going to Azkaban. I'll marry you." He says this without emotion.

_Just like that? No protest? No argument?_

"You – wow – okay I wasn't expecting that," Aurora does not know what to do with this revelation.

While a part of her knows that Sirius cannot seriously refuse her father's proposal, she had half-hoped that he and the other Marauders would have found a way out of their predicament. She has been trying on her own but has come up empty-handed.

Sirius rolls his eyes, "Well, what were you expecting? I'm too much of a dish to go to prison. I'll take my chances with you rather than a room full of Dementors."

"Oh, I don't know, when I'm really cheesed off, I figure that I can give any Dementor a run for their Galleons," this comment earns her a rather dazzling smile from the Animagus.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd wager that there's a bit of naughtiness underneath that pureblood princess demeanour of yours," his teasing is light and friendly.

"You've got the princess part correct, Black. I'm very difficult to please." _Dear Merlin, where is she going with this? Are they flirting?_

"I suppose you'll be wanting a real proposal then? Roses, chocolates and me on bended knee and all?" He is looking at her with a thoughtful expression on his face. As if her answer is important to him.

This makes Aurora laugh, "Most certainly not. You're hardly the romantic type."

His eyes flash in mock offence and a grin forms on his face, "I'll have you know that I am very well versed in the art of romance." He rubs a hand over his stubble, "In fact, none of the birds here are immune to my charms once I put my mind to it."

"I can think of at least one girl that is immune to the disease that is Sirius Black," her would-be fiancé sends her a stern look.

"Is that a personal challenge?"

"Not at all, it's just a fact," she lets that sentence hang in the air, before Sirius steers the conversation in the opposite direction.

"Listen, about those letters…" He begins, clearly looking embarrassed.

"I don't want to talk about them. Not now. Not ever."

He scoffs, "I wasn't going to apologize again if that's what you're worried about."

"Good, I wouldn't have accepted any apology from you anyways," he is really staring to get on her nerves now. _Are all Gryffindors this bipolar?_

"Good, 'cause I wasn't offering. And after what you told your father, I hardly owe you an apology at all."

"WHAT?! I'll have you know that I didn't tell my father a damn thing!" She is deeply insulted. _How dare he think that she wanted any of this to happen. As if she wanted to be married to him._

Sirius does not look entirely convinced.

"Guess you're my fiancée now," he offers after a beat. "When do you think we should do it?"

"I beg your pardon?!" _What was he playing at?_

Sirius raises his eyebrows at her, "The wedding. When do you think we should do it?" He enunciates the first sentence very carefully.

"Right," Aurora is surprised that he goes back to their original topic of their conversation.

She had assumed that he would grill her more about how her father had so easily managed to blackmail all of his mates.

"My parents will advocate for June. They'll want it to coincide with my graduation announcement. After that we can move into the Allen Estate and-"

"Absolutely not. I am not moving in with your parents," Sirius shakes his head profusely.

"Well, we can hardly move in with yours...I wouldn't feel right imposing on the Potters..." Because Appius and Fleamont are relatively close, Aurora is aware of the fact that Sirius has been living with James' family for some time.

While this conversation is necessary, Aurora cannot help but feel strange by how they seem to go from zero to sixty whenever they are around one another.

"Nah, I haven't lived with them since I was sixteen. I have a flat in Muggle London, you can hold up with me there."

"Oh, that's kind of you…are you sure you don't mind?"

Sirius rolls his eyes, "I can hardly have you sleeping outside now, can I? Think of the scandal!" His imitation of her mother earns him a chuckle from the young witch.

"No, I suppose not." Aurora likes this teasing side of him, "Besides, as your wife, I expect it'll be my job to put you in the doghouse whenever you're acting like a prat." He barks out a hearty laugh.

"Only six more months of freedom. Blimey, that's mad," Sirius gives her a pained look.

"Well it's not like you won't be a free man after we're married. I'm not daft, I know you'll be back to your womanizing ways in no time at all. As long as you practice discretion, I won't imagine that we'll have any issues at all."

"Excuse me? _Womanizing ways_? Are you saying that you expect me to step out on you the moment we're wed?" He clenches his fists in anger.

"Won't you, though? From what I can see, you can't seem to stick to one witch for longer than a week. How will you being married change anything?"

"It changes everything! You'll be wife in every sense of the word! I'm duty bound to honour you and protect you!" He is so offended at this point that Aurora almost wants to laugh.

"This is a sham marriage! We'll be spouses in name only. It would be unfair and unrealistic of me to expect that you remain true me -"

"You know that this marriage has to be consummated, right? That's how wizarding marriages work!" Sirius is openly appalled by what she is telling him.

"Yes, well after that unpleasantness is over with, don't expect anything further from me…" Aurora is beginning to regret bringing this up. _Merlin, why does it always feel like they are coming from two different places._

"Un – unpleasantness? You mean that you won't even give us a chance?! It is partially a question and partially a statement on his part. "You want permission to go off with other blokes behind my back, is that it?!" His voice is so loud at this point that Aurora is afraid of Filch coming up and finding them.

"No, I hadn't even thought about that…and it wouldn't be behind your back…Ah - but I guess it would only be fair right?" She exhales and looks away, not wanting to feel his piercing eyes trying to burn a hole through her skull.

"Thank you for letting me know just how little you think of me," his voice is ice cold as he shoves past her and disappears down the staircase.

Sirius has every intention of never speaking to her again.

It would appear that Fate has other plans.

* * *

"She's not that bad you know," James flings his red and gold Quidditch robes across his shoulders. "Lily gets on with her. Moony positively loves her." This earns him a menacing look from the werewolf, "Besides if you lot are getting married this summer, you might as well get to know her."

"You don't know what she said to me! Allen thinks that I'm some sort of philanderer. As if!" Sirius shoots back, clearly annoyed with James always managing to swing their conversations back to the Minister's daughter. "If she's so lovely, then why don't you just marry her?"

"I think Dad and the Minister were trying just that," James sighs, "Why else were we left to play together all those holidays before Hogwarts?"

"She told her father about us, Prongs. How can I forgive her for that?" Sirius is resigned to remaining stubborn.

"I don't think that's what happened," Remus sits on his bed, pretending to read a book when he decides to chime in, "I saw her write down something after she guessed that you were the Grim. I was there when she crumpled up the leaflet that Parkinson gave her and put it in her bag. Maybe her parents went through her things?"

Sirius does not respond.

"You gotta admit that's plausible, mate, you've met her folks. Doesn't seem like they give her too much privacy," James is starting to come around to the idea of Allen not being guilty of the sin Padfoot is currently accusing her of committing.

"Be that as it may, I really don't want to marry her. We have nothing in common. She's one of those silly pureblood girls that my mother would approve of. If only she wasn't a blood traitor that is."

"But she's rich!" Peter protests, "And kinda fit, not as fit as her mum, but fit in an exotic sort of way."

"Bah! What do you know about girls, Peter? The only broad that's ever fancied you is your mother." The three boys laugh as Peter's face flushes a bright scarlet.

"We really shouldn't have written those letters to her… I didn't know that you were still writing to her after school started up again." James gives Sirius a quizzical look as he grabs his broomstick.

"Yeah well, it was fun." Sirius shrugs his shoulders as if it is no big deal.

"Is that all it was, Padfoot?" Remus is sitting up now, "Because I know that you kept those letters at the bottom of your trunk."

"Not you too! Would you all get off my back?! It was a little fun…that happened to backfire." The other Marauders snicker when Sirius begins to rub the back of his neck. "Oi, shut it! And you -" he glares at James now, "- don't you have a Quidditch game to get to?"

"That I do, old timer. I'll see you blokes down there. Gotta kick some eagle arses."

* * *

"For what it's worth, you put in a valiant effort." Aurora is walking in sync with Ravenclaw Chaser and fellow Prefect, Bertram Aubrey. The stocky blond is beyond frustrated with the outcome of the Quidditch match. Ravenclaw lost the match by 260 points.

"Bloody Potter," Bertram growls. "He plays dirty. Walks onto the pitch as if he owns the place. Can't believe that Dumbledore made him Head Boy. What was that old geezer thinking?" In the background, she can hear the Gryffindor fans still cheering for their Quidditch hero, while Aurora and the rest of the Ravenclaws are left to sulk back to the castle in low spirits.

"Are you suggesting that Dumbledore plays favourites?" She teases. A small smile tugs at the corners of his mouth.

"No, but you have to admit that he is only human," Bertram states plainly.

"I think we tend to forget that about our beloved Headmaster," Aurora sighs pensively.

Bertram shakes his head at her sentimental attitude, "Oh by the way, congrats on being awarded the Magical Merit Award. I heard that only you and Evans got it this year."

Aurora blushes at the compliment, "Thanks. It's really an honour. I think the professors were impressed with our work with the Interhouse Cooperation Club."

"Well, that and the fact that you got 12 O.W.L.S. the year before last." Bertram smirks at her as they approach the fifth floor, "How's the work coming along on you top secret potion project?"

"Not bad, Belby and I think we've reached a real break through. We just have to clear the clinical trials with the Ministry and then get some of the healers from St. Mungo's on board – "

"You're working with Damocles Belby on this?!" Bertram's mouth hangs open, "And I'm only just hearing about this now?"

"Erm - well yes, it's not like the two of us are chummy or anything like that." Aurora begins to feel uneasy when his eyes grow cold, "I don't have to keep you updated on my life. Why would you even care?"

"So, you don't think that we're mates, do you? Because I thought that we were. Guess not." Bertram grips his broomstick handle tighter and stomps away, leaving Aurora feeling hurt and confused.

She is not particularly adept at understanding boys' emotions. _Maybe she should start working on this? Do some independent research?_

"Geez, you're not good at this, are you?" Aurora jumps five feet off of the ground in alarm.

In her state of fright, her bookbag has unlatched, dousing the hallway in a sea of books, parchment and quills.

"Potter! Arrgh! Where did you even come from?" Aurora bends down to begin collecting her fallen school supplies.

James sends her a sheepish look and then proceeds to help her collect her belongings. His eyes fixate on an article she has marked in this week's Witch Weekly Magazine _, '36 Questions Designed to Help you Fall in Love with Anyone.'_ James hesitates before handing it back to her.

"Are you – uh – planning on using this against Sirius?" He looks up at her expectantly.

"What? Oh that, no. Uh - Lily just thought that we should get to know each other more. You know since we're getting married and all." She pauses to inhale deeply, "I usually don't read things like this. All of their quizzes are horribly inaccurate. It's silly really."

James does not appear to have heard a word that she said, "Lily, how – how is she?" He swallows what appears to be a painful lump in his throat.

"I won't lie to you; she's not doing too well. I'm sorry to hear that you two broke up."

He sighs and runs a hand through his unruly hair, "I deserve it you know. I really didn't know about what your home life was like and you're supposed to be a childhood friend. I should have never helped Sirius write you those letters. Lily has a right to call me out on it."

Aurora looks at him as if he has just grown a pair of antlers. _Ironic._

"A half-apology from James Potter." She smirks, "Looks like the world is ending after all."

He smiles, "Not a half-apology. I'm really truly sorry, Aurora. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

"James-" She is really not sure how genuine his intentions are.

Closing the clasp on her bookbag, she rises from the floor and makes an attempt to move past him. She really has to get to back to the Ravenclaw common room. She has a million and one things to get done in the next few days.

"Wait!" His fast Chaser reflexes enable him to capture her arm in a heartbeat, "Let me show you that I'm being truthful. If you're going to be marrying my best mate, then we're going to be seeing a lot more of each other, right? I think it's time to extend an olive branch of sorts, wouldn't you agree?"

"Just what did you have in mind?" She draws out slowly.

"Have dinner with me. Err - I mean us. The other Marauders and me. As friends." His eyes have that pleading look in them.

"Are you mad? I can't sit at the Gryffindor table with you lot! What would people think?" Aurora is mortified.

"They'll think what I want them to think. Besides it'll make your marriage to Sirius look more plausible in hindsight. You know, if you're always hanging around one another…" He releases her arm and steps back.

"Sirius and I quarrelled earlier today. I hardly think he wants to see me right now." Aurora looks away, not knowing why James is so adamant about patching things up with her.

The Gryffindor star just shrugs, "Yeah, Moony and I heard all about it. Sirius will get over it. Moreover, isn't that what couples do? They quarrel and then they make up?"

"An observation worthy of Rowena Ravenclaw herself." Aurora cannot help but give him a small smile. "And I'm assuming this is also an opportunity to make Lily jealous or perhaps you're hoping that I'll tell her to give you another chance?"

"Well, a bloke can always hope. But, no, this is not what I'm trying to do."

"And I should believe you because…?"

"Because Dumbledore's convinced that were in the midst of an impending war and we can't afford to be fighting amongst ourselves."

That is not what Aurora had been expecting. He offers her his elbow, "I'll be your personal escort so nobody can say anything."

Without waiting for a proper response, he takes her arm again and leads her into the Great Hall just as the dinner feast is about to commence. All eyes follow the pair as they make their way to the Gryffindor table. Aurora can feel the Ravenclaws shooting her accusatory looks from the other side of the room. Apparently, strolling in arm-in-arm with the boy responsible for costing them today's Quidditch match is not the way to go making friends. Aurora groans internally. _This is a really bad idea. How does she keep getting looped into things like this?_

"The Minister's daughter, eh Potter?" A Gryffindor teammate teases James as they sit down between Remus and Peter.

Sirius is seated right across from them. Marlene McKinnon is feeding him purple grapes as he laughs at some lame joke that she has just told. _Merlin this is going to be a long evening._

"My dinner guest, Smith, nothing more," James corrects easily and proceeds to attack the chicken leg in front of him. Remus leans in and bring his voice to a slow whisper.

"I hope you don't mind, but I've talked to Aubrey about switching the patrol schedule for this week. On account of the…well you know…" Remus always saddens whenever he has to explain his condition.

"Not a problem, I'll take your shift," the two share a knowing smile.

"I wonder how an eagle will fare in the lion's den," Sirius turns away from Marlene and addresses Aurora directly.

The redhead clutching his hand appears displeased that she is no longer the center of his attention. To compensate, she glares at the dark-haired witch. _If looks could kill._

"I'm hardly an eagle…"

"No? Then what are you?"

"You'll be finding out soon enough, I imagine." Aurora says this in a completely nonchalant manner before plucking a grape from his plate and putting it into her mouth.

* * *

**February 1978**

"I think it would enlightening to discuss the Squib Rights marches of 1969, you know? See how the other students would've handled the situation if they were in Minister Jenkins' position…" Aurora looks over at Lily who is obviously lost in another world.

Since the foundation of the Interhouse Cooperation Club (ICC) almost four years ago, their numbers have really grown, with Lily and Aurora spearheading the occasional dance or Hogsmeade outing for their members. Aurora recently had the brilliant idea to shift the club's focus from organizing events to include students from all four houses to encouraging inclusive debate about various topics.

With Lily as co-president, they have managed to organize a few debates with encouraging outcomes. It was fascinating to witness how each of the students from the various houses would approach the same problem from a different angle. Aurora finds that the Ravenclaws and the few Slytherins that were a part of ICC tend to find more common ground with one another, than with the Gryffindor or Hufflepuff students.

"He really apologized to you? Like a real apology?" Lily's uncharacteristic disregard for Aurora's earlier statement reveals just how much her breakup with James is affecting her.

Aurora could tell that Lily is devastated by the breakup but clearly Lily feels that it is necessary to hold her ground against what she assumes correctly is a very badly thought out idea of a joke. When she had first heard about Lily standing up for her against James, Aurora had truly been touched. It was not everyday that someone goes out of their way to stand by the reclusive Ravenclaw witch.

Aurora answers honestly, "He did. And I believe that it was sincere too."

"That's mature of him." Lily muses, seemingly rethinking her perception of him.

Aurora sighs, "It is. Listen, he's a good person. I just think that he gets a bit carried away sometimes."

"You'd be okay with me forgiving him? I won't do it if you're still cross with him…"

"I've forgiven James and I think you should too. It's obvious that you're both suffering…" Aurora thinks for a moment, "Invite him to Slughorn's Valentine's party."

"That's next Tuesday, isn't it? I completely forgot about it…who are you going with?"

"I have no idea. Well, actually Slughorn made a suggestion…" She clamps her mouth shut. _Maybe this is not the best time to mention this to Lily._

"Okay, who did he suggest?" She looks genuinely interested now.

"Severus. He thought that we should go together if we didn't have dates." Aurora watches Lily stiffen next to her and quickly tries to explain, "He approached us together, since we're potion partners this year. I don't think he gave it much thought…"

"I see," Lily narrows her eyes in displeasure. "I would think that you would be going with Sirius." Aurora had chosen to tell Lily the truth about the engagement, but deliberately left out the details about Sirius' animagus form.

"Our betrothal is still a secret and we're not exactly on the best of terms right now. Might not be the best idea to spend that much time alone together." She accurately predicts what Lily says next.

"Grow up, Rory. It's a party, you don't have to be joined at the hip the entire time." Lily flicks back her red hair, "You study and eat lunch with him anyways, so what's the big deal?"

"That's only because Remus invited me. I think he and James are in cahoots with each other trying to get Sirius and I to spend some civil time together."

"It's working, isn't it? You don't seem that hostile to one another anymore."

Lily has a bit of a point.


	4. Triad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius attempts to protect Aurora from his family and in the process disrupts their fragile alliance. Aurora receives a special gift from her mother, who suspects that Sirius is secretly a Death Eater. A secret wedding occurs in Dumbledore's office. The Marauders and their friends celebrate graduation.

**February 14, 1978**

Slughorn has the uncanny ability to spot talent and ambition from a mile away. Those that have the potential to excel in their chosen fields of study or those who have connections to powerful witches and wizards are given the honour of joining the exclusive Slug Club. Much to Aurora's chagrin, Slughorn has been attempting to make her the poster child for his collection of students. To this day, her father is a favourite of the old Potions Master and he has even had dinner at the Allen Estate a few times.

Aurora has her own reasons for keeping the Slytherin Head of House close. It is always helpful to have easy access to various potion ingredients, especially when one is working on an undisclosed project with a well-renowned potioneer. She and Slughorn lock eyes across the crowded office and the heavy-set sexagenarian makes his way toward her.

"Miss Allen, are you enjoying yourself, my dear?" Slughorn reaches the corner where Aurora has been nursing her Butterbeer for the last thirty minutes. In tow is a very solemn-looking Regulus.

"I am indeed Professor," she takes a sip of her drink to have something to do with her hands. "You've truly outdone yourself this time, sir."

Slughorn waves a hand in front of his face, "All for the students of course. Love is always in the air during this time of year. Speaking of which where has your date run off to?" Slughorn peers around the room, stopping only when his eyes locate what they are looking for. "Ah there's Master Sirius, chatting it up Lily and that Potter fellow."

"My brother's always put his friends above everything else, Professor Slughorn," Regulus answers before Aurora can come up with an adequate excuse as to why she is standing there all alone. "Plus, he's generally not very _engaging_ company to begin with." He smirks at her when he says this.

"Oh, where are my manners? Miss Allen, this is the younger Mr. Black. But I'm sure you knew that already. He's part of your little school club." Slughorn turns to the young Seeker. "Isn't that right Regulus my boy?"

"Used to be," Aurora's eyes narrow internally. "He used to be part of the ICC before he stopped coming to the meetings last year." Regulus does not react.

"Well, he's been a very busy young man. What with Quidditch and all…" Slughorn is oblivious to the tension between the two. "Oh look! There's Adrian…" He hobbles off in the direction of another prominent student. The raven and the snake are now left alone.

"I suppose a congratulations are in order," Regulus gives her a sideways glance. "Since you're set to marry my brother, I suppose that makes you my new sister." _How can he possibly know that?_ Aurora is convinced that Sirius has not told anyone except the other Marauders about their plans to wed.

"The Minister wrote to my parents." Regulus answers her unspoken question. "It gave Mother quite the shock. She supposedly wrote to Sirius, offering to reinstate his position in the family if he breaks off the engagement and renounces his Muggle loving friends, but she hasn't received a reply from him yet. Why is that?"

Aurora is shooting daggers at Sirius, who is standing and laughing at something James has just said across the room. _How dare he leave her alone to deal with his family drama?_ As if she did not have enough of her own to manage.

"You should ask your brother. And while you're at it, find out why he's such a moody, arrogant arse, will you?" She downs her remaining Butterbeer and proceeds to move away from Regulus. He is quicker and steps in front of her to block her path.

"You're not in love with him then?" While he searches her face, his eyes linger for half a second on her lips.

Aurora thinks carefully before responding, "Are you kidding? Haven't you heard all those rumours about us?"

He bites his lower lip and looks at her from underneath his long eyelashes, "Those are just rumours. I would know if my brother had taken you into a broom closet." He says this so definitively, that Aurora has to pause.

"It's not broom closets that he drags me into…" She lets that sentence linger. _Merlin, why is she doing this to herself?_

Regulus clenches his jaw and accuses annoyingly, "You're lying."

"He's all a girl could ever want in a husband. Handsome, tall, charming…" She continues as if she had not heard him, enjoying the rush. _Maybe Veiga was right. Maybe she did have some Slytherin tendencies._

"A typical pureblood response." Regulus is fast to catch on to her tactic. He whispers for just her to hear, "But I can tell this isn't a love match. My brother doesn't love anyone but himself, so how did he manage to wrangle you?" Aurora opens her mouth to respond, when the pair is abruptly interrupted.

"Now, now, Reggie, didn't anyone ever teach you not to linger where you aren't wanted?" Sirius comes out of nowhere and wraps a protective arm around her waist.

Regulus stiffens at his brother's sudden intrusion, "Unlike you, I was personally invited to this party."

"Yes, we all know what a lovable teacher's pet you are. Why don't you slither away to your Death Eater friends? I see a few of them here," Sirius pretends to scan the room for any potential foes.

"Somebody has to maintain our family's social standing. We can hardly leave it up to you now can we?" The younger Black has the same hair and slightly haughty look of Sirius, although he is shorter, slighter and rather less striking than the man with his arms currently around her.

"Mother wants to know why you haven't written back to her yet. She says if you renounce this blood traitor then maybe we can talk about reuniting the family. She'll find you a more suitable bride and -"

"Sod off, Regulus," Aurora snaps back. "I'm wealthier, cleverer and younger than your insufferable mother. Not to mention my blood is purer than hers too. Walburga can take her suitable brides and stuff them where the sun doesn't shine!" She shoots him a venomous look and pushes past the two men. Not a second later, Sirius is at her heels.

"Merlin's trousers! I didn't think you had it in you!" Sirius is rushing to keep up with her. "So much for the shrinking violet persona, eh?"

"I'm really not in the mood, Sirius." She practically walks straight onto the middle of the dance floor where numerous couples have stopped to reposition themselves for a slow song. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see James and Lily stare dreamily at one another, as a disgruntled Snape glares at them from afar.

"May I?" Sirius offers her his hand.

"I think not. I'm not much of a dancer."

"Nonsense. Every pureblood princess learns how to dance. Besides, you wouldn't want to disappoint Slughorn, would you? He's looking this way." Sure enough, Slughorn has just finished adjusting his gramophone and is now beaming at them, nodding his head in approval.

"Alright, but I must warn you that I have two left feet." Aurora pauses before adding, "And I've never taken dance lessons. My mother replaced them with lessons on Ancient Runes and Muggle sword fighting."

"Is that so?" Sirius raises an amused eyebrow as he pulls his body closer to her. Not being able to find a particular rhythm, the two just sway on the spot.

"Yup. Although, I'm a better axe thrower than sword fighter. Mother says its because I haven't mastered the precise footwork yet."

"You're quite the mystery, Allen. I daresay that you're going to be quite a lot to handle," he spins her around for good measure before pulling her close again. "And the way you spoke to my brother! Do you think you could say those things to my mother's face? I'd love to see her reaction."

Aurora laughs at his enthusiasm, "I'd wager that she'd murder me in my sleep."

"Not true. She'd get my evil house-elf, Kreature, to do it for her. She'd want to keep her hands clean." Sirius is chuckling now too.

"Great. It's not just your fan club that's after me, but now I have to worry about a demented house-elf too."

For all of Sirius' faults, Aurora cannot deny that he is indeed a very splendid dancer. He moves with a grace and elegance that belies his stature, leading her purposefully but not forcefully. He seems to mold his body to hers with the slightest pressure of his hands. A smug, yet undeniably happy smile tugs at his lips thereby acknowledging the confidence that he possesses being in his own skin.

"Ahhh!" Sirius groans as he doubles over in pain, "Ohhh Merlin's beard!"

"Black, are you alright? What's wrong?" She looks at him in alarm. _Did someone hex him?_ She looks around but sees nothing out of the ordinary, just a bunch of couples dancing to the music and a happy (and probably tipsy) Slughorn and a few Slytherins clapping along in the background.

"You've stepped on my foot," Sirius chokes out. He grimaces again.

"No, I didn't." She retorts. _When did she step on his foot?_ She can swear that she did not. Yet here is her fiancé, in obvious agony. Sirius continues to wince in pain and grabs her hand in what could only be described as a death grip. He proceeds to pull her away from the dance floor, as Aurora begins to apologize profusely. Soon the pair have left Slughorn's office and are standing in the hallway.

Pushing her gently against the wall, Sirius gives her a cool smile. He does not take his eyes off her.

"But I thought-?"

"You didn't step on my foot. I just wanted a moment alone with you. Away from prying eyes." this statement causes her heart to flutter. _Is she ill? Why is her heart racing?_ He rakes a hand threw his gelled hair and focuses his attention on her dress robes.

"I think I would like you better in red…"

"Not a fan of cerulean blue?" She challenges spiritedly.

"Not a fan of your continued indifference," he closes the space between them. "I leave you alone for five minutes and the snakes descend…can't risk one of them overhearing…"

"It was more like thirty, but okay I'm listening." Aurora is still cross about him leaving her at the start of the get together.

"Stay away from my brother. I know that he's a member of your club and everything, but he's bad news. He's a Death Eater, I'm sure of it. And even if he's not, he's well on his way. He'll try to recruit you. Or take advantage of you to get to me. Do not trust him." Sirius warns glumly.

"I can handle Regulus Black." Aurora sighs. "Is this all you wanted to talk about? Because I-"

Before she can even process what is going, he roughly grabs the sides of her face and crashes his lips to hers. He starts to move his mouth in a way that is both earnest and sensual, rough and sweet, possessive and spicy. Aurora can barely breathe, but she feels her toes curl inside her heels. She moans into his mouth involuntarily. The heat rises in her cheeks when Sirius' tongue touches hers for the first time. The two mold into an electric firestorm that is igniting within both of their bodies at the same time. Just as she is about to lose all of her senses, she quickly pulls back and gasps in shock.

"What – what was that for?" Aurora is terrified. _What just happened? Or a better question, why did she allow it to go on for as long as it did?_

Sirius grins back at her. "If we're going to be married, might as well get that out of the way. Don't you think?" And he has done it. He has effectively ruined the moment. _Insufferable arsehole!_

"Ahhh, you wanker!" Aurora steps forward and angrily kicks Sirius in the shin. She leaves him standing alone in the hallway, clutching his injured leg, when she makes her way back to Slughorn's party.

_Serves him right._

* * *

**April 1978**

"I can't accept this, it's too much." Aurora slides the velvet box back across the table in Veiga's direction.

"Nonsense! This is a big year for you. You'll be turning eighteen, graduating and getting married. This is the perfect gift." Veiga slides Odin's Eye back to her daughter, who picks it up and examines it closely.

"To make a great sacrifice in order to gain a cosmic understanding of reality." Aurora murmurs as she twirls the ultramarine eye between her fingertips, effectively getting lost in the glistening iris that appeared to stare back at her blankly. "The story alone is inspiring, if not fascinating."

"I'm sure that you and your father would gouge out an eye to gain the knowledge of the universe."

Aurora smirks back. "By that assessment, Odin would've been a Ravenclaw too." She pauses and unlatches the tiny clip at the top of the bronze brooch. She examines the single, clear drop of liquid that rests in a secret vial contained within the small structure. The vial reflects brightly against the glare of the sunlight pouring in through the parlour windows.

"Do you really believe that this is Odin's tear? A tear that can cure any injury? It's hard to believe that such a thing would exist."

Veiga shrugs. "I do, Aurora. I do. Never lost a duel or been harmed by a curse whenever I was wearing that pin."

"Mother, this is your most prized possession. I can't just take it from you."

"I'm gifting it to you. Consider it an early graduation gift. Or wedding gift." Veiga hums softly, "Besides, you'll need more protection than I do."

Aurora sighs and accepts Odin's Eye without further complaint, clipping it to the front of her dress robe. "There's something else that I wanted to talk about regarding my marriage to Sirius Black. I understand that father led the discussion when we met Black last Christmas and he'll be the one to draft the marriage contract, but I know that it was you that was the mastermind behind it all. The question is why?"

Veiga Vidar is a cunning and ambitious witch whose exceptional talent for curse-breaking and the Dark Arts evenly matches her impressive pedigree. On top of her ancestral background and magical reputation, her striking Nordic good looks ensures that posters of her are splattered on the walls of nearly every teenage boy in England. Had she not attended Durmstrang, she would have surely been sorted into Slytherin House at Hogwarts. Her marriage to a prominent politician does nothing to quell her desire to become the most renowned witch in all of history. While her husband is currently Minister of Magic, many a times she is the one working behind the scenes, acting every bit the puppeteer.

Veiga gives her daughter a sly smile, "Merely killing two birds with one stone. Politically, we uphold the family's honour by remaining steadfast in our commitment to bridging the gap between the divided factions of the pureblood community. In addition, your marriage to Sirius Black enables you to keep an eye on him-"

"You believe Black to be a turncoat?"

"You don't? Look at his family! Your father has heard rumours that Regulus has been indoctrinated as one of the youngest Death Eaters known today," Veiga is baffled by her daughter's perceived ignorance on the subject.

"But Sirius despises his family. He doesn't even live at Grimmauld Place anymore."

"What better way for Voldemort to sneak a spy into Dumbledore's little Order. Insert a boy pretending to be so far removed from the Death Eater world that his involvement in the fight against them will be perceived as eagerness. Honestly, I am not surprised that you haven't considered this. A bright girl such as yourself, hasn't considered that the fact that everybody has secrets?! You cannot claim to know him at all…"

"You're right, the only thing that I do know for certain is that he's capable of a great many things." Aurora leans back, recounting those letters that he had sent her a few months ago that triggered this unfortunate chain of events. "It's just that his displeasure with anything to do with the Dark Arts seems genuine."

"But of course, it would need to be, wouldn't it?" Veiga is quick to counter a response. "Frankly, if he is indeed a traitor, this would be a brilliant plan set in motion by Voldemort. We both know that Voldemort is competent enough to accomplish things that nobody thought could be possible until very recently."

Aurora sighs and chews her fingernails ravenously, her mind swirling.

* * *

**June 28, 1978**

The day of the ceremony arrives much too soon for Aurora's comfort. The months following Slughorn's St. Valentine's Day party have just past by in a blur. Aurora has been immersing herself almost completely in studying for her upcoming N.E.W.T.s and finishing her research efforts on the Wolfsbane Potion with Belby. She and Sirius have come to a sort of truce. On the off occasion that she was not studying or conducting research, she would often join the Marauders for lunch or a stroll around the grounds.

She and Lily are grooming a couple of sixth years to take over the ICC after they graduate which turns out to be more work than Aurora had originally anticipated. To add on to that, her father has written to Flitwick asking him to give Aurora private duelling lessons. _Things are only getting worse, Aurora. You need to be taking steps to protect yourself._ Her father's voice echoes in her head.

The 'wedding' is set to take place in Dumbledore's office right after the morning N.E.W.T. exams have concluded. The last exams she will ever take at Hogwarts before moving on to the healer trainee program at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Her parents, the Potters and a Ministry official would be overseeing the very small wedding service. The Blacks have refused to come and Walburga had sent Sirius a rather nasty letter the day before. Veiga had also warned Aurora that a reporter would also be in attendance, so she had better mind her behaviour carefully.

Looking back, Aurora does not remember much from that day. After her final exam, she hurries back to Ravenclaw Tower and changes into a fresh pair of school robes. She and Sirius have agreed that they would not wear anything fancy to the Headmaster's office. Aurora did make sure to quickly redo her hair and apply a fresh coat of mascara, however. _Nothing too fancy._

She looks at her wristwatch and shrieks. _15 minutes late._

Scrambling to reach Dumbledore's office, she rounds the corner to find a pacing Lily, a steely frown marking her face, "Thank goodness you're here!" She grabs Aurora's hand and mutters, "Lemon drops" to the stone gargoyle.

Aurora wants to giggle at the delicate scene in front of her.

Professor Dumbledore sits in his chair affectionately petting Fox, while Appius shuffles his weight between his feet. The Potters look positively radiant and Euphemia is clearly wearing her best hat. An ancient looking thing covered in green vines and purple roses. The balding Ministry officiant is wearing plain bronze robes and is reading something from an old-looking document.

James looks up and mutters to Sirius, "See, I told you she'd come."

Sirius briefly glances in her direction, as she makes her way to stand beside him. A short, blonde haired witch dressed in forest green is perched just off to Aurora's right side. Aurora sees that she is using a Quick Quotes-Quill. This must be the reporter that Veiga had warned her about.

"Right, let's make this snappy. I have two funerals to preside over after this. If the couple would face each other and join hands…" And with that the Ministry official begins the ceremony.

There is nothing special about the words that he mutters, they are the traditional verses that are spoken at every wizarding wedding. She finds herself staring into Sirius' eyes and suddenly the weight of what they are doing comes to fruition. Holding his hands, while starring into his grey eyes and professing to love and honour him until the end of their days is so strangely intimate. She soon starts to feel uncomfortable with the audience in the room.

When it is Sirius' turn to speak, he does not stumble over the words as she does. He speaks them clearly and with resolve as if he means every last word of it. _Rubbish._ A doubtful voice says in her head. _He has no feelings for you. This marriage is a sham. He's just a very convincing actor._ Wedding bands are exchanged wordlessly.

Before Aurora knows it, the ceremony concludes. Sirius steps forward and places a chaste kiss on her forehead, catching her off guard. As he does so, the officiant raises his wand and a shower of stars falls over their heads. Aurora feels a warm and a joyful tenderness seep its way into her heart. She wonders if Sirius feels the same way.

Nobody moves until Dumbledore begins to clap and the others follow suit. Lily gives her a reassuring smile and James wolf whistles at Sirius. The balding Ministry official thrusts both the official wedding license and the marriage contract into her face. She groans internally, but takes the quill from him to sign her name. _Aurora Phoebe Allen Black._ She passes it calmly to Sirius. He raises an eyebrow but does not comment. Dumbledore and Appius sign as witnesses.

"Excuse me, I'd like to get an exclusive with the newlyweds." The journalist smiles widely revealing a row of uneven yellow teeth, "It is the wedding of the year of course."

"Rita, there are some important matters that I would like to discuss with you," Veiga wraps a firm arm around the woman's shoulder and proceeds to lead her out of the room, with the Ministry officiant not far behind.

Aurora's mother may be many things, but she is fiercely protective of her family.

Lily runs up to Aurora and embraces her like a true friend, "Congratulations Rory! That was splendid. Really splendid."

Out of the corner of her eye, she can see Sirius being embraced by all three Potters. Euphemia is openly crying as she runs a hand through Sirius' hair.

Catching her attention, James pulls Aurora into the family embrace and they form an awkward pentagon, "I wish Moony and Wormtail were here to see me gain a new sister."

To Aurora, James' statement carried a very different weight from when Regulus had said those same words to her only a few months prior. Her heart swells at James' acceptance. She only wishes that Doak had been there to see his little sister get married. She would have to write to him right after the graduation feast.

Aurora steps back to quickly kiss her father on the cheek, while Fleamont swoops in to shake Appius' hand in celebration. Dumbledore conjures up some mulled mead (courtesy of Madam Rosmerta from the Three Broomsticks he says) and pours everyone a generous goblet full.

As she sips on her drink, Aurora muses that they only have one more day before leaving Hogwarts behind forever. They would be departing the school in two days time on the same enchanted boats that first carried them to the castle back in first year.

* * *

**June 29, 1978**

"Did you see this?" Remus pushes this morning's Daily Prophet into her hands as he takes a seat beside her at the Gryffindor table.

Sirius and James are leaning into their arms, clearly hungover from whatever shenanigans they got into the night before. Peter remains happily aloof and is stuffing butter rolls into his mouth at record speed. Aurora's eyes quickly scan the front-page article written by none other than Rita Skeeter:

_The Most Boring Wedding of the Century_

" _The wizarding world was thrown for a loop when Minister of Magic Appius Allen and Gringotts Head Curse Breaker Veiga Vidar publicly announced that their only daughter would wed the eldest son of Orion and Walburga Black in a quiet ceremony. The match has left the public openly divided. Some claim that this political marriage is a way for Minister Allen to remain relevant in the face of intense public scrutiny, whereas some have praised the new marriage - considering it necessary to bridge the divide between the mentalities of the traditionalists and the progressives in our world. This reporter has a far simpler explanation for the speedy wedding that transpired a day before the couples' Hogwarts graduation, clearly the bride must be with child..."_

"WHAT?! I'M NOT PREGNANT!" Aurora yells and half the students in the Great Hall turn to look at her, most are now whispering into their pumpkin juices.

She can see that nearly everyone of them has a copy of this morning's paper. _Guess the cat is out of the bag. Or in Aurora's case, would it be the dog?_

"Shhhh!" Sirius growls, "Will you keep your voice down. I feel like I've fallen off my motorbike."

Next to him, James lets out a painful moan, "Padfoot, I give you permission to murder me. I can't go on like this."

Aurora delivers Lily a quizzical look. The Gryffindor lifts her hands up in surrender. She clearly has no idea what those two got up to last night.

"A few too many bottles of mead and firewhisky." Remus answers her unasked question as he slides two small bottles of Pepperup Potion in their direction.

Sirius downs the potion in a single gulp and wipes the remaining droplets off of his mouth with the back of his sleeve. "It was my wedding night. I deserved a happy ending." He meets Aurora's eyes and her face grows hot at the innuendo.

"Here, here!" James raises up his potion in a mock toast.

"Can't believe that its our last day at Hogwarts," Lily looks almost mournful. "We'll never set foot in this place again."

* * *

**Later that evening**

Sirius and James have recovered enough by dinner time to hear Dumbledore's closing remarks at the graduation feast. The Great Hall is decorated in a traditional Hogwarts fashion that evening, honouring all of the colours and symbols from all four houses. That being said, Gryffindor has won both the Inter-house Quidditch Cup and the House Cup that school year which is evident by the prominent red banners that litter the very front of the dinning hall. Aurora opts to sit with Bertram Aubrey, whom she is once again on friendly terms with, and the other Ravenclaws for their final feast.

Dumbledore presents the final awards to each of the graduating students before acknowledging several of the achievements of the Class of 1978. Toward the end of his closing speech, he stresses the importance of unity and cooperation in light of the impending tensions currently present within the wizarding world. Glancing in the direction of the Gryffindor table, she notices that at their Headmaster's words, the Marauders and Lily take on solemn expressions.

The mood instantly brightens when Lily and James are invited up to the front to speak as the Head Girl and Head Boy, respectively. Lily has taken the opportunity to craft a beautifully written speech about all of the memories that the graduating class has made over the years. She wipes back a few tears, as she concludes.

James' only contribution was to unceremoniously yell, "Now let's party!"

The tables are magically moved apart and the students scramble to get a good spot on the dance floor. Within minutes, flasks filled with a strong kind of firewhisky made the rounds among the older students. Soon everyone is twirling around the room, laughing and in high spirits as loud music filled the Great Hall.

"Gryf-fin-dor! Gryf-fin-dor! Gryf-fin-dor!" Aurora can see the Marauders leading their House in a series of chants just as the Hufflepuffs begin to chant the opposite, "Hog-warts! Hog-warts! Hog-warts!"

The room spins wildly around her, as Aurora twirls around in circles with a few of her Ravenclaw housemates. The few sips of alcohol she has had are starting to make her feel dizzy and a few times during the night, she suppresses an urge to vomit. Overextending too much into a spin led by Bertram, she comes crashing into a very drunk James Potter.

"Oi, there you are!" He grabs her arm to help steady her footing, laughing merrily. Aurora cannot help but grin back at him, his happiness being contagious.

"Here I am!" She beams. "Nicely done with the Quidditch Cup, Potter. I hear that you single-handedly led your House to victory."

He runs a hand threw his untameable hair. "Well, yeah. It was a team effort." He smiles softly.

"Took you a lot to say that, didn't it?"

He shoves her playfully, his eyes still foggy from the liquor. "I know just what to do with you." Before she can protest, he swoops downwards and grabs her legs, effectively swinging her up and over his right shoulder. The motion is so swift that Aurora instantly feels nauseated again. He carries her swiftly across the room to where the others are dancing.

"Padfoot! Come claim your graduation gift!" James stands her upright and shoves her none too kindly into Sirius' awaiting arms.

"A fair maiden just for me? Aww Prongs you shouldn't have!" He hollers joyfully as he wraps his arms around her. "Oh wait." He looks down at her, a twinkle in his eye. "It's just my wife." Everyone within earshot laughs.

Aurora attempts to stomp on his feet in mock protest, but he anticipates her action and moves his foot before she can make contact. He raises his flask in the air. "To my wife!"

 _To Black's wife._ The room murmurs back. A few of the other students give Sirius and Aurora appraising looks.

"To Gryffindor!" James yells louder.

"To Hogwarts!" Aurora inserts.

At that, they all cheer.


	5. Sugar Cookie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurora and Sirius get used to their new living arrangements. A few months later, Aurora returns to her childhood home to meet with an unexpected visitor with ties to her husband.

**July 1978**

They have been living together in Sirius' London flat for about two weeks now. Truth be told, it is not all that bad. The flat has two bedrooms, a decent sized sitting room and a small kitchenette that gives the space a somewhat homely feel. Aurora's parents are not particularly happy with the arrangement, they have been hoping that the pair would move into the Allen Estate. A part of Aurora guesses that they want to be able to monitor the teenagers' activities more closely. Another part of her wonders if her parents think it would be safer for them to live in her ancestral home as an additional precautionary measure.

Aurora comes to the conclusion that living at home could potentially put the couple in more danger, since both of her parents are prime targets for Death Eaters. Her father for being head of the Ministry of Magic and her mother for openly refusing to join Voldemort's cause. Sirius on the other hand, prizes his independence above all and is adamant about the two of them living on their own, being able to come and go as they please. The pair also agree that it would be in their best interest if neither of their parents (excluding the Potters) know where they are living for the time being.

Aurora is not a witch that travels lightly. Despite having the chance to get settled in for the past couple of weeks, she still has many boxes to get sorted through. As she rummages through the box closest to the door, Aurora ponders her living arrangement with Sirius. They have agreed to separate sleeping arrangements. _Thank Merlin._ And they have also agreed to giving each other a reasonable amount of space and freedom. Neither of them have mentioned anything about seeing other people. Not that Aurora is overly eager to begin dating. But given what she has heard about Sirius' reputation back at Hogwarts, she is surprised by the fact that he did not bring up the topic. _Perhaps he was assuming that she would turn a blind eye?_

Aurora shakes her head and stands up from her place on the hardwood floor. _Right, time for a little redecorating._ With a flick of her wand, multiple objects spring from her school trunk and rearrange themselves in various corners of the room. She is so consumed by her efforts to remake this space into something habitable for herself that she forgets just how early in the morning it is.

"Enough with the racket!" Sirius rubs the sleepiness out of his eyes as he steps out of his bedchamber, wearing nothing but black underpants. He gives her an irritated look.

"Is there a problem, husband?" Aurora teases, while biting her bottom lip and peeling her eyes away from his naked form.

"There most certainly is. I agreed to a general sprucing up, not a bloody three ring-circus! Not to mention, do you know how early it is?" He throws his arms above his head in frustration.

The last comment is what gets her the most. She smiles sheepishly at him before offering a gesture of goodwill, "Fancy a cup of Joe?"

Sirius nods his head and makes his way toward the small breakfast nook. Still very much in the nude.

She proceeds to fix up two cups of instant coffee. It is really the only thing Aurora has ever been able to put together that is even remotely consumable. Sirius holds up a photograph that she had left on the table the night before.

"This your brother?" he gestures to the tall, broad-shouldered blond that has his arms around a ten-year-old Aurora.

As he speaks, she comes back into the room with a small tray of leftover biscuits that Mrs. Potter had dropped off a few days prior. Aurora slides a mug across the table.

"Yup," she points to the other man in the photograph, "that's my Uncle Attius. This was taken just before he died."

"Werewolf did him in, right?" Sirius recalls how she had mentioned something about that in one of the many letters they had exchanged last summer.

"Yes," she replies quietly. Sensing that this was a sensitive topic, Sirius tries to steer their conversation in another direction.

"What does you brother do in the Muggle world? You mentioned that he travels a lot."

"Oh. Doak's a musician back in Norway. He's quite talented. Makes decent wages too."

Sirius smirks, "How did he manage that? I doubt that your parents approve."

"Being born a Squib has its benefits, I suppose. He was raised back east by some of my mother's relatives after it became obvious that he couldn't do magic. I still see him a couple of times of a year…" Aurora pauses to nibble on a stale sugar cookie, "He's the one that got me into Zeppelin and the Beatles, of course."

Sirius looks at Aurora strangely, "I didn't know Muggle concerts were your thing."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Aurora narrows her eyes at the man sitting across from her.

"Nothing, honestly," he rubs the stubble on his chin slowly. "It's just that you seem more of an indoor bird."

He gets up and starts to examine some of the objects in one of the boxes. _He really should put on more clothes._ But if she asks him to cover up, she knows that he will remain as is just to spite her. Sirius Black hates being told what to do.

Aurora scoffs, "Clearly you don't very much, Black."

He smiles at her warmly. Aurora squirms under his gaze and plays with the hangnail on her right ring finger.

"Speaking of which, my brother wants to meet you. And come to think of it, he wants me to meet his girlfriend Astrid too," she says slowly, "You'll probably have to endure the whole 'if you hurt my sister I'll kill you speech.' Not too mention, we'll have to come up with a convincing story about why we got married in the first place. My parents never told him the truth."

"Small miracles, I guess," Sirius runs his fingers threw his dark locks. "I'm not scared of your brother. Granted, he looks like a big bloke, but I have magic."

"It would be unwise of you to underestimate him. He's got a mean right hook," she smirks back at him before continuing, "They'll be staying in Gibraltar at my family's summer home. My parents want him somewhere safe for the time being. He's asked if we can meet him there, but with everything going on right now-"

"We can meet him there," Sirius interrupts. "We can sneak off for a week or so without Dumbledore knowing. Heck, I'm sure James and Lily wouldn't mind a little holiday as well."

"No, I think that's a bad idea. In case you didn't notice we're in the midst of a war, we can't just pack up and go on holiday! I think we should be practical and keep our heads down-"

Sirius just shakes his head, "What's life without a little risk?" He pulls out an enchanted globe and spins it around before placing it back into the box, "Write back to your brother, tell him we'll come." He says this so definitively that Aurora opens her mouth to protest just as he beats her to it.

"My, my, my, what do we have here?" she shifts her body to face his and discovers that Sirius has picked up a book from one of the opened boxes she had left in the corner. He cracks the spine open and a mischievous grin lights up his attractive face, "Why Allen, I dare say that this is a naughty book…"

He flips a through a few pages. Aurora can only watch in horror as his eyes sparkle in amusement at the graphic illustrations featured in _Thérèse Philosophe,_ "It's positively delinquent. What would your father say?"

"I don't assume he'd say much, considering that it's from his private collection," Aurora snorts before realizing what she has just admitted to.

"Stealing explicit tomes from Daddy's private collection?" Sirius' eyes grow wide, "You are far more interesting than I ever gave you credit for…and if I had known earlier that you had such fantasies…" He picks up _Kamasutra_ and begins rifling through the erotic drawings, he raises an eyebrow her way every time he comes across a page that she has bookmarked.

Aurora can feel her face grow hot and she cannot bring herself to look at him again. When she had returned home for Easter, Aurora had realized that she was still ignorant about certain facets of married life. Especially when it came to self-pleasure and marital intimacy. Remembering what her father had said about the marriage needing to be consummated at some point to seal the marriage bond, she had some lingering questions about what to expect during the act itself. In an effort to learn more, she decided a visit to the Allen library in order to gain some much-needed insight. Little did she know that there was an entire world of desire and sensuality that existed far beyond what she had ever known about romantic relationships.

"I'd be more than happy to indulge you…if you so desire," Sirius catches her eye and gives her a devilish wink. _She feels embarrassed. And maybe just a little intrigued? Just a little, by his indecent proposal?_

"Although some of these positions…" He tilts his head in mock concentration, "I'm just not sure where your legs would go…we can improvise, hmm?"

"I don't think you could satisfy my insatiable hunger." _She has no idea where that came from._

Sirius does not respond. Instead, his stormy grey eyes take on a possessed look as they appear to grow darker by the minute. He licks the bottom of lip slowly, methodically, as he advances upon her.

He comes to stand in front of her and she can feel his hot breath at her ear, "You should finish unpacking."

* * *

**Six months later**

**January 1979**

Aurora and Sirius have settled into what could only be described as a cordial friendship. There are certain subjects that the two never discuss. _His family. Her family. The letters they exchanged back in seventh year_. But virtually every other topic is explored between the two. Sirius' cleverness despite his innocent debauchery and plain disregard for the rules never ceases to amaze her.

By virtue of her marriage to the senior Marauder and her friendship with Lily Evans, she was seamlessly brought into the friend group. Before long, the six friends were inseparable, especially now since they had all officially joined the Order of the Phoenix. In all honesty, Aurora feels a little overwhelmed by it all. Having lived a fairly lonely, sheltered and secluded life, all of this interaction gets to feel a bit much at times. Sirius and his friends are clearly extroverts who relish in going out every night of the week to explore a new pub or discotheque that has just opened. In spite of the fact that Dumbledore has expressly forbidden it. _Then again, they have never been privy to rules before._

Aurora and Sirius have only dined with her parents once since they had gotten married. An open source of contention is Sirius' unwillingness to join the Auror program at the Ministry. He has stressed to Aurora that he had no desire to work for Appius Allen no matter how indirectly. He is content to join James as a full-time Order member, much to the chagrin of Appius (who does not approve of the young man's essential unemployment) and the newly engaged Lily Evans (who fears for both of their lives whenever they are sent on dangerous missions.)

It was shortly after the new year that Veiga owls Aurora and asks her to come to visit the Allen Estate. She tells Aurora to wear something _presentable_ as she will be meeting with someone important. Veiga does not specify whom.

Arriving five minutes early, Aurora is escorted to the sitting room by their trusted house-elf, Blinky, "The young Miss is looking particularly radiant."

"Thank you. I'm not sure if this is what my mother had meant by presentable," the duo turn a corner and the two beings stop just short of the door.

"I am sure that Mistress will be pleased," Blinky gestures to the door. "He'll be waiting for you."

"Who am I meeting today, Blinky? Mother and Father have refused to say anything."

Blinky shivers and closes her eyes shut, "I cannot say. Blinky will have to punish herself. But Mister is a dark wizard, I am sure. He be meeting with Minister Allen in secret he is."

Curious, Aurora ignores the pale pink house-elf and pushes the door open to reveal a serene looking man, with short cropped hair. He carries under his arm an ebony walking stick and wears an ancient-looking, velvet-collared suit.

"Miss Allen, I've been expecting you. Have a seat," he gestures at the vacant sofa opposite of where he stands. "I suppose I should call you Mrs. Black now."

The man speaks to _her_ as if she is a guest in _his house. Must be a pureblood._

Aurora examines him closely. The man's face looks familiar, but she cannot quiet place him.

"Forgive me sir, but I do not think we have had the pleasure of being formally introduced," She completely ignores his last statement.

The title of Mrs. Black reminds her of Sirius' mother, a woman he is not particularly fond of and for good reason too, from what she has heard about the woman from James. She internally cringes every time someone addresses her as such. Except whenever Sirius teases her about it.

"No, I suppose not. My son has gone to great lengths to hide you from my wife and me. We had hoped to meet you sooner." The older man stares at her in a way that unnerves her.

_Orion Black._

Of course, how did she not recognize the haughty stature and chiselled jawline that both her husband and father-in-law share?

"I was under the impression, Mr. Black, that Sirius and I did not have your blessing to marry. I would have thought that we are not welcome in your home," Aurora does not know why he has chosen to meet her at her family's estate or why her parents have allowed it. The Allens and the Blacks have been at each other's throats for more than a decade - which is why she is none too pleased to find the Black patriarch sitting before her.

"I'll admit that there is no love lost between myself and a couple of blood traitors, however I was intrigued to meet the young lady that has captured my oldest son's attention. Tell me how did you convince Sirius to marry you? Was it the promise of gold? Alphard's inheritance can only stretch so far…You are obviously not with child as the paper claims so it can't be that…a love potion perhaps?"

Aurora is surprised by the older man's ramblings, "Aren't you forgetting the most obvious reason? Love dictates most marriage proposals."

"Ah, key word here is _most._ An Allen does not marry for love. Neither does a Black. That much we have in common. Tell me, why the sudden interest in my son?"

Aurora shrugs her shoulders in an attempt to hide her irritation, "I have my reasons, Mr. Black. Unfortunately for you, they are none of your concerns."

Orion leans back, "My youngest son speaks quite highly of you as well. Says you were the brightest witch of your year," he surveys her reaction. "There are rumours that you are working with Damocles Belby on a potion that will cure lycanthropy. Such an accomplishment would surely earn you an Order of Merlin. Possibly tip the scales of the impending war if you could find a way to seduce the half-breeds away from the Dark Lord." _Regulus told his father about Aurora?_

"I'm sure that your Dark Lord would consider that statement to be treasonous, Mr. Black."

He smiles manically without acknowledging her comment, "I don't know what to make of you. Earlier reports marked you as a scarlet woman that seduced my son and then in an effort to rectify your lost reputation, you participate in a scandalously patched-up marriage. But then you go off and reinvent yourself as a rising star in the healing community. I am impressed."

The three Allens have worked for months to maintain a dignified response to any criticism against the family in order to maintain some of Appius' political reputation. The plan to quietly marry Sirius has done wonders to take away from her father's inability to control Voldemort's rise to power. _For a time, at least._ Aurora has learned immensely in recent months about how to effectively manipulate the press. She will not be caught off guard by the likes of Rita Skeeter again.

"Scandal is only scandal if you run from it. When they're chasing you out of town, make it look like you're leading the parade."

"You would have done well in Slytherin, my dear," the aristocrat muses.

"You're not the first person to tell me so, sir."

"A pity though that you do not have your mother's fair looks. You could've had the potential to be a real beauty."

"Wit is the only form of beauty that never fades, fortunately for me," Aurora has had enough of this man and sighs audibly.

"I hear that the Dark Lord has attempted to recruit you and your mother, why did you refuse?"

"Isn't it obvious to you by now? We don't support his vision. Far from it."

"You have a lot of cheek for a young woman," he narrows his eyes at her.

Eyes that are so different from Sirius'. _He must get his grey eyes from Walburga._ The two remain staring at one another for a beat. A delicate pause lingers in the air.

"Is my son safe? Is he well cared for?" Orion whispers these questions to her, almost like a prayer. Aurora is thrown off guard by this.

"He – he is. We umm – yes, he's safe, as safe as can be given the current circumstances," she looks away, not knowing quite what to say.

"Good. Good," her father-in-law murmurs. "I am glad to know what he won't be in the midst of this war." Aurora flinches at this. Since day one, Sirius has launched himself straight into oncoming danger.

"He's certainly very headstrong," Aurora says slowly, not wanting to jeopardize the secrecy of the Order, but also wanting to convey the fact that Sirius is not in the best position in this fight against Voldemort, "He's stubborn and reckless, but immensely loyal."

Orion nods, "Indeed. A pity that he associates with undesirables, though," the wizard pauses for a brief moment. "If you have children, maybe I can convince Walburga to make more of an effort toward reconciliation. Blood traitor or not, the children would still be purebloods."

This comment startles Aurora as well. _She and Sirius as parents? They have not even spent the night together, let alone discussed the prospects of starting a family._

"I hardly think that now is the time to be considering that."

"Something to look forward to after the war then?" Orion smiles kindly for the first time.

As he says this, Aurora notices a series of books from the Allen library resting on the floor next to his feet. She recognizes the books immediately as ones that contain protection spells for houses and other places of residence. Aurora also recognizes a large book, bound in faded black leather that rests atop the pile. _Secrets of the Darkest Arts_.

"Trying to keep out uninvited guests?" she nods in the direction of the rather quaint old books.

Orion stiffens, looking a tad bit pale in that moment. Aurora thinks she has been missing something. _He looks almost ill._ In a flash, he composes himself and straightens out the front lapels of his suit.

"The Muggles are getting more perceptive. The missus wants extra enchantments to keep them out," he provides Aurora with a poor explanation.

"Just the Muggles? Not regretting sympathizing with Voldemort?"

"DO NOT SPEAK HIS NAME, YOU FOOLISH GIRL!" he shakes with a barely contained rage.

His immediate reaction gives Aurora pause.

"Have I struck a nerve? Or am I right to assume that you're trying to keep your beloved master from paying your family a visit?" Aurora knows she is on the right track when she sees Orion eyes flash in horror, "Those books contain the most impenetrable protection spells known to wizard kind. Why the need? Furthermore, why are you visiting my parents under a cloud of secret? Why ask to meet with me in a similar manner?"

"That is absurd. You have no idea what you are talking about," Orion grits his teeth. "As for the business with your father, that's strictly a personal matter."

"Yet, you've never done business with him before. Curious that you come to him now. With you both being on opposite sides of this war, that is. Unless you wanted to hide it from your master and his lapdogs," Aurora tilts her head in a way befitting of her mother.

Veiga's interrogation tactics have clearly rubbed off on her young daughter.

"You have no place questioning my actions. It's witches like you that are leading to the degrade of our society," Orion states plainly.

"I get it from my mother. She's a descendant of some of the greatest European warriors this world has ever seen," some of the tension leaves the room when she says this. Orion is a man easily impressed with wealth, power and pedigree.

Aurora's family has all three. Too bad they are barbaric Muggle-kissers.

"Ah yes, she does like to boast to the tabloids, doesn't she?" Orion is so much like his son when he pushes Aurora's buttons.

She merely smiles back craftily.

"I see no harm, especially when there is something worthy of being boastful about."

Orion gives her an apprising look, scanning the top of her head to the bottom of her shoes. Aurora is silently grateful for her mother's warning to wear something respectable. Under his gaze, she does not flinch. He is out of his element in her home. She is at complete ease. _At least, that is what she tells herself._

"I will admit, I did not expect to like you. Given your family's reprehensible political leanings and your father's inability to uphold the traditions of a respectable pureblood gentleman, I had thought you would have been nothing more than a whimpering fool," he pauses and looks at her strangely. "While I cannot accept this marriage, I hope that my son appreciates having you for a bride."

As he stands and gathers his books off the floor, he turns pale before pulling out an embroidered handkerchief. He violently coughs into it. Aurora can see traces of blood on the stark white cloth when he tucks it back into his breast pocket.

With a curt nod, he makes his exit, pausing momentarily when he reaches the door, "Good luck Miss Aurora."


	6. The Bear & Staff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurora and Sirius grow closer. Aurora is assigned two new patients, making her work personal. James and Sirius experience a devastating loss. Dumbledore sets the groundwork for a new mission for the Order of the Phoenix: to retrieve the Lady of the Lake necklace from the Allen Estate.

**Mid January 1979**

"You think my father is trying to recruit the Minister? I mean why else would he visit the Allens? My parents hate your family." Sirius leans in to whisper his question to Aurora earnestly.

Not responding right away, she looks down and pokes at a radish with the end of her fork.

 _The Bear & Staff _is packed with Muggles tonight so there is very small chance that the pair will be overheard. It was not the kind of establishment that you can get a table on impulse. Large mullion windows framed by long embroidered curtains gives the space an elegant ambiance. The dinning room contains dark walnut tables adorned with white flowers in crystal vases against the backdrop of a flagstone tile floor. To Aurora's right, a group of giggling women are eyeing Sirius as a stern man with an overly large black moustache frowns in disapproval. The noise level is surprisingly high, as is the smoke level, but it does not bother the young witch.

"It's doubtful. Your father looked afraid when I mentioned Voldemort. It's curious that he wants to fortify the protections around Grimmauld Place though, isn't it?" Aurora brings the radish to her lips and chews slowly.

"Not really. He's always been paranoid," Sirius shrugs her concerns away and finishes the last of his steak.

"The way he acted though," Aurora hesitates. "I don't know your father, but he was definitely trying to hide something."

Sirius rolls his eyes, "My parents are always hiding something. Most likely Reggie has been sent off on some big mission with his band of merry Death Eaters. If my parents talk about it, Voldemort will strike them down. At least that's what I've deduced from my mother's rather cryptic letters. Bloody twats." He says this with so much malice and venom that Aurora flinches, not used to this level of hostility.

"If that is your brother's fate, why don't you do something about it?" _How can he forsake his brother like this?_

"He's made his choice and I've made mine. There's really nothing else to say," Sirius takes a sip of his red wine and turns his head to look out the window.

Aurora wants to press the issue, but she falters a moment too long.

"Does your mother still think I'm a traitor?" Sirius asks quietly.

"Yes, but she'll drop it eventually. She's a mistrustful witch by nature, but this war has made her all the more suspicious of everyone. Plus, my father says that the Ministry is full of holes. Some secret Voldemort sympathizers too, he suspects. Doesn't trust anyone but Crouch at the moment."

"Is it true that your father's approved Crouch's request to try wizards and witches without a trial? Use Unforgiveables against suspected Death Eaters?" Sirius turns back to face her.

"I suspect that my mother is the one pushing for that. She likes Crouch's no-nonsense approach. It's a little alarming, but I think my father is desperately trying not to lose control of the situation."

"A little alarming? It's practically authoritarian! Your father should resign. He's already lost. All of this from a man who claims to have fought a bear and a hellhound…" Sirius shakes his head in disbelief.

"Well, the part of the story that he selectively chooses not to mention is the fact that he took Felix Felicis that day," Sirius barks out a laugh when he hears this.

"Besides, it's difficult to argue with results. The Ministry's caught more than one Death Eater red-handed already. The public has taken notice. That's why Crouch's approach hasn't been questioned."

Aurora flicks back her hair and reaches across the table to steal bits of Sirius' baked potato before continuing, "Regardless, this is still the wrong approach. Innocent people will inevitably be swept up by this. Besides, it's an absolute violation of our rights. No doubt about that."

Sirius smirks, "Have you mentioned this to your parents?"

Aurora snorts, "You've met my parents. Think they listen to anyone else's opinion but their own? Father always jokes that when a Ravenclaw and Slytherin get together, nothing can stop them."

"What about a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw?" Sirius gives her an animated look.

"Well, the Ravenclaw usually gets talked into doing something stupid and reckless. Like agreeing to get on the back of her husband's enchanted motorbike to have dinner in Muggle London."

"You made it here in one piece, didn't you?" Sirius watches in fascination as Aurora reaches over to steal another bite of his food.

"Barely."

"Why do you always do that?" Sirius gestures at the table in front of him, "Order a big meal, pick at it and then steal from other people's plates?" He says with awe in his voice. In a joking sort of way.

Aurora blushes so furiously that she has to look away for a second, "I'm a picky eater. Doak used to call me a little scavenger. Or a vulture when I was little, and he was being mean."

Sirius laughs again, "Don't change that about yourself. Makes you unique."

"I've always thought so too," the two exchange shy smiles.

"Wanna go for a walk?" Sirius tilts his head, "It's a nice night."

He glances down at her relatively untouched plate, noting that she has already laid down her knife and fork.

Aurora glances at her wristwatch and bites the inside of her cheek, "It's getting late, Sirius. Besides I have to check in at the hospital for my night shift."

He reaches across the table and takes her hand, "Come on, just for a few minutes?"

"Hmm," Aurora muses, wiping at her mouth with her napkin while pushing her plate back delicately. "I suppose since you went to all this trouble…"

"I take that as a yes," Sirius pulls out his wallet and tosses a few Muggle bills onto the table, not bothering to count out the change.

Aurora bites her lower lip. He really should not be so wasteful. His uncle's inheritance will not last forever and her salary is not all that large.

"You know what would make this night even better? When we get home, we try out some of those positions from those naughty books of yours," he wags his eyebrows suggestively.

Aurora throws her discarded napkin at him as she rises from her seat, "Don't push your luck, Black. Besides we haven't even shagged the vanilla way yet. Who knows? It might not be any good!"

"The vanilla way?" he ponders, frowning slightly. "I have no idea what that is, but I much prefer chocolate."

He offers her his arm and Aurora takes it, laughing, "I'm sure you do."

* * *

**March 1979**

"You'll need to submit your patient assessments before you leave," Healer Smethwyck turns to hand her another four clipboards, "and if you could do a quick inventory check too, that'd be great."

The healer-in-charge of the 'Dangerous' Dai Llewellyn Ward at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries is a sharp-tongued man who has a sarcastic sense of humour and yet, he is still immensely dedicated to his craft. Aurora has been reporting to him as trainee healer for the last nine months and finds him to be a formidable boss to work for.

"Yes, Healer Smethwyck," she balances the clipboards in her hands and takes a few steps out of the ward before he calls out to her again.

"Go up to the second floor for a few hours and lend them a hand will you? We're a little short-staffed tonight," Aurora just nods and makes her way up to the second floor.

The Magical Bugs Ward has an eerie feel to it and is easily the most physically dark wing in the entire hospital. The healer-in-charge is a short, plump woman who always seems to be at her wits end. Aurora does not particularly like working with her, but she has a decent bedside manner that Aurora knows benefits the patients immensely.

"Couple at the back, looks like Dragon Pox. You can handle it, yeah?" the healer approaches Aurora out of breath and drops two clipboards on top of the ones she already has.

"Umm-"

"Good, I need to see to Mr. Goyle over there. Think he's got a case of Scorfungulus."

Aurora inhales and makes her way to the back of the room. Her feet ache. Her eyes are dry. And she reeks of sweat and essential oils. She steps over to the first bed and pulls open the curtains to reveal a very green-looking Fleamont Potter.

"Rory, my girl, how are you?" he smiles a wide toothy grin, as Aurora observes him closely.

His skin is pockmarked and a dark greenish tinges covers every aspect of his face. Despite looking uncomfortable, he appears to be in generally good spirits.

"Mr. Potter-"

"Fleamont, dear. It's Fleamont, remember?"

"Sorry, it's habit by now," she says this in a professional tone, though corners of her mouth seem to be trying to hold back a small smile. "As Healer Chiron already explained, the diagnostic test confirmed that you have dragon pox. Any idea how you contacted it? We should be examining all options in case we have an outbreak."

Aurora pulls out a quill from the front pocket of her healing robes.

"Efficient, aren't you? Well, I honestly have no idea where it came from," he gestures to his left where Euphemia is snoring softly. "I fell ill first and then Mia followed. We would have been happy to have waited it out at home, but James insisted we come here."

"James is here?" Aurora looks around the hospital ward as if expecting to see her spectacle-wearing friend.

"He and Lily are waiting in the reception area. That other healer didn't want them coming up here."

"Yes, that was a good call on her part. Dragon pox is highly contagious. Every staff member here takes the cure at the start of their shift as a preventative measure. May I examine your feet?"

The old man nods and Aurora begins her physical examination of his heels and toes. Her sharp eyes catch a purple rash forming between the toe webspace. Fleamont's legs and feet are also pockmarked, red spots littering virtually every inch of space on his wrinkled skin. With a flick of her wand, she confirms her physical examination results and makes a note of it in his chart.

"Your chart indicates that you've been experiencing sparks when you sneeze. Any other symptoms?"

"Fever, headache, can't seem to keep any food down. You know, the usual." He smiles again. "I had dragon pox when I was a young lad. Bounced back, fit as a fiddle in under a week."

Aurora nods. "Yes, that's typical of dragon pox. I'm going to prescribe an hourly dose of dragon pox cure and then we'll see what we can do about the headache," she looks up from her clipboard.

"My son, James, is getting married to a lovely witch named Lily. Didn't you know?" his eyes glaze over and he peers at Aurora, as if seeing her for the first time.

Aurora freezes briefly before regaining her composure, "No, Fleamont, sir. James and Lily got married last month remember? You walked her down the aisle?" Hallucinations and temporary amnesia are common in older adults who contract dragon pox. It is also a sign that the disease is reaching an advanced stage.

"Oh yes. How ever did I forget?" his eyes flutter. "I'm so glad that you and Sirius fell in love too. He's always been such a restless young man. Mia was worried that he'd never settle down!"

"I'll go get James now," Aurora scampers out of the room, leaving the stack of clipboards on an empty bed in the hallway.

She reaches the reception area and locates a nervous James being comforted by a worried Lily. Sirius sits next to them, leaning his head back against the wall while smoking a cigarette.

"James," this startles the group.

He is the first to leap up at the sound of his name, "Rory, you're still here? Sirius told us that your shift ended hours ago."

Aurora shakes her head gently.

"Put that out!" she glares at her husband before addressing James directly. "No, we've been swamped these last few days…"

She bites her lower lip before continuing, "Things aren't good. More people are coming in with mysterious ailments. Horrendous injuries. Some refuse to say what happened to them and others simply don't remember."

The trio exchange melancholy looks.

"You were right to bring your parents in. Dragon pox can be extremely dangerous if not treated promptly. Here drink this and follow me." She passes out three vials containing a purple liquid.

Dragon pox cure.

The group gulp down the potion and are led to the second floor where Euphemia is now sitting up and eating a cup of apple sauce.

Aurora moves out of the way as the other three begin hugging the Potters. To busy herself, she fluffs their pillows and straightens out their blankets without the use of magic, watching the scene unfold in front of her.

"Son, you don't need to fret. Rory's been taking good care of us. Haven't you sweetheart?" Euphemia beams at her.

"We're lucky to have her," Sirius offers her a curt nod.

"Tell Jamie here that we're going to be fine. I've had the pox before, it's nothing to worry about," Fleamont looks up at her expectantly.

Aurora and Sirius exchange a worried look.

"Actually, if I could speak with my patients in private I think-" Aurora begins nervously.

"No. Anything you say to my parents, you can say to me," James girts his teeth in frustration as Lily rubs his shoulder.

"Fleamont," Aurora addresses the Potter patriarch without glancing at the three visitors. "If you haven't put your affairs in order, I would strongly recommend that you do so. I'll be frank with you; this is a very advanced stage of dragon pox. Your age, combined with the fact that you have contracted the disease in the past has increased your chances of succumbing to the illness by ten-fold."

Lily gasps and clamps a hand over her mouth. Sirius shoots her a murderous glare as the Potters' eyes widen in horror.

"Will you excuse us a moment?" Sirius grabs her by the forearm and forcefully drags her out of the room. She nearly trips over her lime-green robes before he yanks her backward to face him.

"What's this business? Is frightening old people your idea of being clever?"

"Sirius, your manners are truly without equal." She rolls her eyes. _Leave it to him to overreact._

" _What_ was that?!" he shakes her slightly.

Unluckily for him, Aurora is cranky and overworked. She has no time for his melodramatics. She tears her arm from his grasp.

"This is a trainee healer giving her patients and their next of kin all of the appropriate information in order to allow them to make an informed decision about possible next steps. What do you want me to do? Lie to their faces? Tell them that they'll get better in no time and that we'll see them for Sunday dinner next week? I can't do that!" Aurora is huffing.

Sirius looks devastated, "But can't you give them anything? The cure should work, shouldn't it?"

"I'm treating them as best as I can. The cure was designed for younger wizards. I just-" Aurora pauses to regather her thoughts. "I know how much they mean to you. Truly I do. And you have my word that I will ensure that they receive the best treatment and care there is. But you and James have to be ready to say goodbye."

She finishes lamely to find her husband looking despondent.

* * *

Death takes Fleamont Potter the very next morning. He goes peacefully knowing that his son and a boy that he considers to be a second son, are happy and would be taken care of. Euphemia hangs on for a few more days, before she too succumbs to the bout of dragon pox. Sirius is visibly upset, but it hits James the hardest. He is nearly inconsolable. Aurora has temporarily transferred to the Magical Bugs Ward to tend to them, but it has done little good in the end. She even carries a bit of guilt with her after their passing, until Sirius had manages to convince her that it is not her fault.

While things between Aurora and Sirius seem to be improving leading up to their one-year anniversary, things for the rest of the wizarding world seem to only be getting worse.

* * *

**Early April 1979**

"You're not cross?" Sirius peers at her with a curious expression.

"No, I mean, not really," Aurora thinks for a moment. "That was incredibly risky considering how young you were when you first began the process, but otherwise it was absolutely brilliant."

"See, I told you she'd understand," Remus says this with resolute confidence.

"Now, hold on a minute there," Aurora holds up a hand. "It was brilliant, but absolutely insane. You three were lucky that it worked. Surely, you must have heard of the horror stories where it didn't work out… Not to mention the fact that it's illegal…"

Sirius shrugs his shoulders and leans back in his chair, balancing on its back two legs.

"Took you long enough to figure it out though!" Peter pipes up at last. "Especially since it was you who gave us the idea in the first place!"

"What? How did I give you three the idea to become illegal animagi?" Aurora turns to Sirius for an explanation.

"Well," Sirius draws out gradually, "remember when James, Peter and I had ran into you in the hallway after Charms class back at the end of second year?"

"Yes," Aurora answers slowly, not quite understanding where this was going, "I recall you doused me in Goblin piss." She shoots the trio a venomous look.

"Erm, yes, well it wasn't supposed to be you that rounded that corner. Moony gave us the signal that it was Snivellus…"

"NO I DIDN'T! I didn't give the signal. You weren't supposed to release the balloon until you heard the cow bell not the-"

"- And because of that, James and I got detention for a week," Sirius sounds slightly bitter and slightly amused as he interjects his recollection of that particular moment.

Remus opens his mouth to argue, but Aurora cuts him off. "Okay, okay, I get it. Prank gone wrong. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well after you hollered at us and threatened to tell McGonagall, you also said something to the effect of _instead of pranking people, you should focus on helping your friend_. We realized that you knew about Moony's furry little problem too and that got us thinking. Maybe you had a point. Maybe there was something we could do to help him. And we did."

Aurora's eyes widened, only now remembering that day, "Blimey that's right. I – I let that slip."

She turns to Remus, a mortified look on her face.

"Don't worry about it," The sandy-haired wizard shakes his head slightly as Aurora tries to find the right words to apologize.

"He's right," Peter catches her attention again. "It all worked out, right? We helped Moony here and because of it, you and Sirius got married." He adds as an afterthought, "Besides we're not in Azkaban, so that's always good, right?"

"Ah here they are!" Sirius jerks to his right where the other Order members are beginning to file into the tiny cottage that they were currently using as one of their meeting spots.

"Wonder what mission Dumbledore will assign us this week?" Peter's eyes are bright with excitement. In Aurora's opinion, Peter has been overly eager to be attending these meetings as of late.

She does not have time to ponder this thought before everyone takes their seat and the assembly begins.

* * *

The meeting goes on for hours and Aurora's eyelids are beginning to feel heavy. Beside her, she can feel Sirius' restlessness as he squirms about in his seat. He is not one to sit idly for long periods of time. In his boredom, he begins to play with a loose strand of hair that has fallen out of Aurora's messy bun. Every so often she has to swat his hand away.

Under normal circumstances, Aurora would be much more attentive, but her training at St. Mungo's has been taking its toll on her sleep schedule. Only when the subject switches to next month's mission involving her and Sirius, does she correct her posture and sit up.

"I don't understand why Allen has to meet the Minister alone," Dorcas Meadowes speaks directly to Dumbledore. "The Minister's estate is most certainly being watched. Even if Black goes with her, I must insist that a more experienced Order member accompany both of them."

"We do not want to alert Voldemort's-" virtually everyone in the room shudders. "- Death Eaters to the fact that Aurora is a member of the Order. Our organization functions because our identities are kept relatively secret." Dumbledore's voice remains calm and steady.

"I don't understand why the Minister can't just owl the necklace," Dorcas does not like the direction that the plan is going.

"The Lady of the Lake necklace is an exceptionally powerful talisman that enables the wearer to be unfathomably loved by all those who encounter them," all eyes turn to Aurora. "If You-Know-Who gets a hold of it, he could manipulate anyone he comes across without the need for the Imperius Curse. The limits of the necklace have never been tested. If he manages to insert his image into the Daily Prophet while wearing it, his power to influence the masses could be next to unstoppable." Aurora locks eyes with every single Order member that has gathered around the table when she says this.

Edgar Bones, Elphias Doge, Benjy Fenwick, Marlene McKinnon, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Emmeline Vance, James and Lily, Caradoc Dearborn, Hagrid, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, McGonagall, Mundungus Fletcher, Sturgis Podmore and Dedalus Diggle all sit with their eyes frozen in horror. Only Dumbledore looks at ease.

"Why does your family have this artifact? How come it was never turned over to the Ministry?" Lily knits her eyebrows in Aurora's direction.

"It's been in the Allen family for generations, since the time of Merlin I've been told. It's never been used to my knowledge, but it has the potential to cause real harm if it falls into the wrong hands. My father is anticipating an attack against him any day now and wants to take precautions."

"It's dark magic then?" Sirius has an arm around Aurora's chair. He clenches his fist ever so slightly.

"Not quite dark magic per se. I believe that it was created with good intentions based on the Arthurian legend," Aurora sighs. "But as the Norwegian saying goes, the road to Hel was paved with good intentions…"

"The Blacks will stop over at the Allen Estate under the premise of a family visit for anyone watching, nothing out of the ordinary," Dumbledore begins to outline the plan. "While there, Aurora will secure the necklace and take a portkey to Lupin's Lodge in Yorkshire, where I will meet her there. Sirius will be responsible for transporting Doak and his family to a safehouse in Southern England by Muggle automobile in order to avoid the trace. If all goes according to plan, we will secure the Minister's son and the Lady of the Lake necklace all in one night."

Dumbledore places his hands together and concludes the meeting.


	7. Black Crystal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurora is determined to find a cure for lycanthropy. Remus is forced to make a choice that could impact his friendship with Sirius forever.

**May 1979**

"You sure you don't want to come?" Sirius calls out as he frantically scrambles around the flat looking for his favourite leather jacket, "You'll love this band!"

Things are unarguably comfortable between the couple. They eat meals together (which Sirius thankfully cooks), attend Order meetings together, debate Ministry politics, and continue to flirt relentlessly with one another. Though Aurora is content with her new life and is increasingly starting to warm up to her husband, she still hesitates with taking things in the relationship to the next level. Especially since there are still some unresolved issues between the two. And thank Merlin for the continued sleeping arrangements. She is most certainly not ready for _that_ yet. _Right?_

Aurora turns from the book in front of her and shakes her head definitively. "No, I told you that I just need one more blood sample from Remus. I really think this time will be the one."

In her haste, she knocks over a goblet of elf-made wine that spills over the edge of the table. Grabbing a yellow tea towel, she anxiously dabs at the spill before it can permeate any of the rolls of parchment that are littered across the dining room table.

Frankly, she is initially surprised that James and Sirius are not observing the traditional year-long period of mourning for one's parents that is common in a lot of pureblood circles. Sirius reasons that Fleamont and Euphemia died peacefully and would not have wanted them to mourn. James added to that by reminding Aurora that they are in the midst of a war and there is a funeral nearly every month. They owe it to themselves to enjoy the simple moments whenever they can.

As Sirius struggles to put on his dragon-hide boots, he looks up at her skeptically, "Allen, that's what you said the last three times." He pauses to run a hand through his perfectly sleeked hair, "You're just getting his hopes up."

Aurora shakes her head again and inhales before muttering a quick, " _Scourgify."_ Thereby effectively eradicating any traces of the liquid from the tabletop surface.

"I can do this. I know I can. I just need your support."

He leans forward to grab his silver cigarette case, "And you'll have it. Always." He smells like cedar wood and expensive cologne.

A light rapping sound from the front door alerts them to Remus' arrival.

Sirius gets to the door first and the two men shake hands before he invites the werewolf into the sitting room. With a final farewell to his wife and a promise to give James and Lily her love, the man is off, leaving Aurora and Remus alone with their thoughts.

Observing her friend, Aurora notes that he looks awful. His sandy hair is ruffled, and the flecks of gray make him appear much older than nineteen. As usual he is wearing shabby robes that tell the tale of a young wizard down on his luck.

The three days preceding a full moon always leaves him feeling anxious and unfocused, he had explained to her years ago. This makes Aurora even more determined to push for a cure for lycanthropy. Heck, if she can co-create the Wolfsbane Potion at the tender age of seventeen, finding a cure should be a piece of cake. _Right?_

Remus grins very boyishly all of a sudden, finally looking like the teenager that he is, "Sirius tells me that you're going to be an aunt soon."

"Any day now actually," Aurora rubs a kink out of her neck. "After the baby's born, Doak and Astrid will be returning to England. They'll be safe under the Ministry's protection. My mother just doesn't think Norway is safe for them anymore."

"Any reason why Dumbledore's pushed the date for moving the necklace from your parents' place?" Remus asks intuitively. "I would've thought that you'd all be in a hurry to secure your brother's safety."

Aurora bites her lower lip, "That was my mother's doing. She did a tarot card reading and foresaw danger. She wants it postponed for a few months."

Remus looks taken aback, "She's superstitious enough to risk your brother's life?"

"You wouldn't have guessed right?" Aurora chuckles. "But I guess we all have our proclivities."

Remus looks off to the side for a moment, "Is Astrid having a boy or a girl?"

"Boy," Aurora gives him a subtle, half-smile. "Doak wants to name him Atticus, after my uncle. The one that, well, you know…"

"Yes, I recall my father reading the newspaper aloud that morning. Do you mind me asking what happened? I thought that he had survived the initial bite," Remus wears an inquisitive expression on his face.

"He did, but umm—" Aurora closes her eyes for a moment. "He didn't want to live like that. Wanted to control his own destiny, at least that's what he told my father before he…" Her throat feels tight, forcing her to swallow the rest of her words.

Remus reaches over and pats her knee gently, "I understand, you don't have to say more."

He gives her a moment to recompose herself before he asks, "That's why you were interested in finding a cure?"

"Yeah I uh - thought if there were other options available then nobody else would be compelled to…" she trails off for a second. "When I met you the year after he died, it just made me more determined, I suppose. Got me really interested in healing magic. Owled Belby when I turned fifteen after I'd heard that he was working on the Wolfsbane Potion and the rest is history."

"I hear that you'll win an Order of Merlin for your contributions to the potion once it becomes available for public distribution. Your parents must be very proud."

Aurora wrinkles her nose, "You heard about that already? I guess news really does travel fast."

She clicks her tongue, "My mother was disappointed that it was not a First Class distinction though, says that Third Class only signifies that there are people in my field who have accomplished more than me. What rubbish though! These people are nearly twice my age. And the potion was Belby's idea too! Bah."

Remus chuckles, "Does Veiga Vidar's ambition know no bounds?"

"None at all."

"Rory," Remus' face takes on a serious expression. "I cannot thank you enough for what you have done. The ability to be able retain my mind during my transformations will be the ultimate blessing. I hope you know what this means to me."

"You can thank me by helping me to go further. I'm convinced that a cure is possible. I just need to push a little more…" She halts when she notices Remus' defeated expression.

Despite the Wolfsbane Potion, Remus is convinced that there will never be a cure in his lifetime.

"You mentioned that your test subjects were acting erratically?" Remus does not beat around the bush; he knows better than to waste time with unnecessary pleasantries.

As he speaks, Aurora hands him a clear vial filled with a black powder.

"I've crystalized the blood sample you sent me with a pure dose of silver and a few other organic compounds. Mandrake roots, black tea leaves…" Remus uncorks the cylinder and takes a whiff of the substance, which emits a faint orange-red smoke, "but the rats haven't responded as I've hoped. They're more hyper, more aggressive, I think I've managed to increase their libidos…"

Remus gives her this very peculiar look. It is a familiar expression, half bemused exasperation and something else that Aurora cannot place because she has never been at the receiving end of it. She gifts him with a bashful smile in return.

"That's probably 'cause they're wererats. I thought they were like that to begin with."

Aurora shakes her head and takes the vial back from him, "I was hoping to see the effects on a regular human subject before moving forward with trials on werewolves. Since I've been the one developing it, I figured I can be the one to test it–"

Remus is frowning, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"I wasn't asking for your permission. I'll take some tonight and you can objectively note down any observations before the effects wear off," she wiggles her nose playfully. "Sirius probably won't be back 'till early morning so that'll give us enough time to experiment."

They both know that Sirius vehemently disapproves of Aurora testing any of her concoctions on herself. There have been incidents. Not major ones. But her husband is adamant about her not being reckless with her health. _Hypocrite._

Remus sighs and leans back, knowing full well that he has already lost the battle. Finally, he nods in her direction. She stands abruptly, bending forward to place a chaste kiss to his cheek. Not waiting for him to change his mind, she dabs a finger in the vial and brings the crystalized powder to her lips.

The substance tingles her lips and a strange warmth flows through her body. She can feel her pupils dilate and her heartbeat turns erratic. Without another word, she determinedly makes her way to her bedchamber.

* * *

_I shouldn't have agreed to this._ He has always had a very difficult time saying no to his friends. Especially to Aurora Allen. Back at Hogwarts she had been the first girl that he had ever fancied. Fancied, not loved. Important distinction. He had never breathed a word to anyone about it. Not even to the other Marauders. He suspected that they knew anyways.

She had been the most talented witch in their year, even edging out Lily Evans on more than one occasion. The raven-haired, dark-eyed beauty had bewitched him despite her somewhat cold persona that she displayed to those that did not know her well.

The day he had first met her on the Hogwarts Express, the two had talked the entire train ride to the castle. Her knowledge and appreciation of Muggle literature had left him instantly captivated. Being around her made him wish that he was anything but a werewolf.

She knew of his condition of course. Appius Allen had approved Dumbledore's special request to allow Remus to be able to attend Hogwarts back in the early 70s, shorty after his inauguration into office. Aurora had been a small child when she had overheard the two grownups talking. The whole Allen family had known about his secret affliction, but they did not out him. When Remus had questioned her about his condition, she had said she did not care. But Remus most certainly did.

Some days he would daydream that he was just a normal wizard. Innocent and untainted. A boy worthy enough of her affection that he could ask her out to Hogsmeade without a second thought. Alas, he never had the courage and by their last year she and Sirius had married.

* * *

"Remus," a sultry voice startles him out of his thoughts. He has no idea how long he has been staring into space.

Aurora stands before him wearing a Muggle-style, ruched red dress that catches just above the upper thigh. Thin straps reveal her petite shoulders and a deep neckline reveals a delicate amount of cleavage. Remus recalls seeing this dress on Aurora before. The night they all went out dancing to celebrate Sirius' nineteenth birthday last autumn. Virtually every man in that establishment had their eyes on her for most of the night and Sirius had been wise enough to keep a firm arm around her the entire time they had been there.

Stammering, Remus bends to pick up a quill and a blank notebook from the coffee table, "You feel okay?"

"I feel wonderful," She takes a slow step toward him. "Do you feel like this all the time?' She tilts her head and parts her red lips slightly.

"I – umm – doubt it," Remus is now openly worried.

His own emotions are already heightened because of the impending full moon. Even worse, his senses are heightened as well. And right now, he can feel her arousal rolling toward him in waves.

"I opened a window in my bedroom," She continues, oblivious to his increasing discomfort. "The evening breeze felt like individual molecules brushing against my skin."

She moves to place her hands on his chest. The closeness of her body unnerves him enough to take a few steps backwards. He swiftly turns away from her, as he attempts to gather his thoughts and calm his rapid breathing.

She wastes no time reclaiming the space lost between them and from behind she wraps her arms around his midsection before speaking, "I feel everything now. I feel _you_. Can you feel me or is it more of a scent?"

He closes his eyes when she hugs him. Remus is not used to being touched very often and he would be lying to himself if he was not slightly enjoying the embrace. Regaining his bearings, he quickly swerves to face her. Their lips are inches apart.

"You have no idea what you're doing. This has to stop," she pays no attention to his protests and wraps her wrists around the base of his neck.

She brings him closer to her body.

"I feel close to everything. To you. There's no space between us." She closes the gap between them.

Anticipating her next move, Remus pulls back before Aurora can kiss him.

"You just think there isn't. Trust me Rory, there's space. This is the powder. This isn't the real you. I should probably take you to St. Mungo's."

"No, no, no," she coos while placing a perfectly manicured finger to his lips. " _This_ is the _real_ me. I just didn't know it. And I like it." She pulls away and holds out her hand before whispering, "I want to feel close to you. Join me Remus."

The way she says his name and the way she looks at him – full of desire and passion, makes his knees weak. No woman has ever looked at him like that. James and Sirius always get the birds. Always. In a moment of pure weakness, he takes her hand and follows her obediently.

At this point, Remus is on autopilot. He is does not even feel it when she leads him to the bathroom and begins shrugging off his overcoat. Aurora turns on the shower full blast and steps inside, fully clothed. The high heels she is wearing are causing her to slip and Remus quickly jumps in to steady her footing.

"I can always count on you to save the day," she whispers affectionately.

The bitterly cold water is pouring relentlessly on them and within a few minutes they are both drenched. Aurora moves her hair off to the side and exposes her neck to him.

"Bite me," they lock eyes instantly.

"I want you to sink your teeth in me. Turn me," she whispers again, more urgently this time.

"WHAT?!" Remus nearly drops her onto the shower floor.

He is repulsed by her request. She has no idea how much he despises what he is. If only she knew.

"No! This isn't how this works and you know it, Rory," he turns his head away. "I could never do that to you."

"Please," she is putting her hands all over him and he grabs her wrists to keep them in place. "Bite me and then ravage me. Please." He is stunned again by her insistence and by her new request.

She frees herself from his grasp and slips her hand under his jumper to get better access to his navel area. Her skin is smooth and warm against his in a way that provokes goosebumps into appearing across the werewolf's body. He closes his eyes to savour the moment. Aurora has never touched him like this before. Her next words cause him to freeze in fear.

"I want you _inside_ me. I want all of you. Bite me. Then fuck me like it's the last thing you'll ever do. Bite me and you'll never have to be alone…." Aurora presses her body against his and he groans audibly.

She is playing into all his deepest fantasies and fears. He turns his head to look at her again. He can feel that she is ovulating and the sex hormones that she is projecting are driving him mad. Remus' own arousal is beginning to show, and he prays that she cannot feel it. _Pathetic._

"No, we have to stop. This isn't right. It's just the powder. This isn't you," he will repeat those words for what feels like hundreds of times that night.

"He's never touched me, Remus. Almost a year we've been married, and he hasn't even touched me. When you take me, you'll be my first," her voice is low and raspy. "Mark me as yours. Please, I want to make you feel good…" She breathes these words, her fingertips pressing circles into his hipbones.

He closes his eyes again and prays to every deity he can think of that she stops. If she does not, he will not be able to control the wolf within. The fact that she is a fertile virgin that is radiating a strong magical aura is enough to drive him over the edge. A part of him wants to leave her in the shower and run away. The irrational part of him wants to give in to her requests.

Eventually, she steps out of the shower and pulls off both of her heels, letting them fall to the floor with a thud. Remus turns his back to give her some privacy once she begins unzipping her dress. She disappears into the bedroom while Remus uses a hot-air charm to dry off his robes. He reaches over to the faucet and roughly turns the knob to shut off the running water.

The substance is starting to wear off, but Aurora's speech is starting to slur, and she is having a difficult time walking in a straight line. Remus holds her and guides her back into the sitting room toward the sofa. She is now wearing one of Sirius' old t-shirts and fumbles with the hemline that barely covers her bottom. Remus pays no attention, and instead wraps a discarded throw cover around her body.

"You need to sleep it off now," Remus is tucking the blanket around her feet. "Hopefully there's no permanent damage."

"Sirius," Aurora mumbles as she struggles to keep her eyes open, "I think I could grow to love you."

Remus' heart sinks, "I know."

* * *

The next morning, he sits in a large burgundy armchair across from a sleeping Aurora, sipping on an espresso. He skims through the _Daily Prophet_. More attacks. More fear. More uncertainty. He hears her shift and focuses his gaze on her. Lily had owled a note earlier that day, which Remus left on the coffee table.

"What time is it?" She is rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Her makeup is smudged, her hair is damp and unkept. She looks striking.

"Early," he hands her his espresso and folds the paper in front of him.

She looks down at the black Beetles t-shirt that she is wearing and smiles.

"I'd forgotten he still had this," she muses, mostly to herself.

Remus feels slightly uneasy with the sentimentality, "Your clothes were wet, but they're dry now." He keeps his tone even and she follows his line of sight which reveals her dress, safely drying on a nearby chair.

"I was wearing that?!" Aurora looks back at him, mortified. "That's not like me at all." When they lock eyes, she looks down in embarrassment as her cheeks turn a rosy pink.

"Actually, you said that was the real you. Besides you've wore that dress before, if I recall correctly," Remus rubs his chin and narrows his eyes to watch her reaction.

Aurora opens and closes her mouth before she finally speaks, "Yes, well I was not in the right state of mind last night. Obviously. As for the other time…it was his birthday and you know how he likes me in red…" Her eyes are fascinated by a small mole on her thumb.

"What do you remember?"

"Nothing!" She squeaks out too quickly. At Remus' disbelieving expression, she relents. "Everything. I remember everything." She swallows and looks away again.

Something she said last night is bothering him. He believes that Aurora had been telling the truth, but he wants to make sure.

"It's none of my business, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to. What you said about me being your first…I thought you and Sirius had – ah you know – by now at least…" By the expression on her face, he should not have asked such a deeply personal question.

"You're right. It is none of your business. What a husband and wife do or don't do in the privacy of their own flat should be left alone," he nods, berating himself for going there in the first place.

Despite his guilt, he is puzzled. He has seen Sirius and Aurora flirt with one another, dance together and now they were living together, and nothing had happened? _Strange._

As if reading his mind, the witch answers slowly, "We're trying to take things slow." She shifts her eyes to focus on the side table just off to his left. "After our rocky engagement, I just wanted to be careful about jumping headfirst into this marriage, you know?"

"Caution is hardly Padfoot's specialty," Remus considers.

"No, it's not," Aurora chuckles faintly. "But he's agreed to my terms."

A silent moment passes, before she speaks up again. "I have no idea why I said those things to you last night. I just…" she pauses, not knowing how to continue with that particular thought.

He grunts and rubs his hands together trying to dispel some of the awkward silence that has ensued. He decides to change the subject, "I think you've created a drug."

Aurora is not surprised that he has come to this conclusion. She has surmised the same thing, "Yes, a narcotic that gives you the highs of being a werewolf without the actual transformation."

Remus looks interested.

"The drug made me feel invincible. Like nothing could touch me. Like no one could resist me. Not even you," she blushes again before continuing, "Increased stamina, a feeling of immense physical strength, heightened senses, undeniable confidence…"

Remus smirks, "You should be taking notes, I reckon you could make a fortune selling this."

Aurora snorts, "Yeah on the black market! There is no way that the Ministry would approve this. Plus, I don't think many people would be eager enough to take a substance with dried werewolf blood in it. They might be ignorant enough to believe that it will turn them for real."

Remus shrugs, "You'd be surprised how many people want to escape their own realities." He runs a hand through his hair in frustration, "But I guess there's the whole werewolf issue. You'd need to find enough werewolves willing to give you their blood for a fee…but seeing as how so many of us are destitute, I can't image that you'd have too much trouble in that regard."

She is looking at him with a mixture of pity and mortification. A far cry from the looks she was giving him last night.

"Remus, I am so very sorry," she gazes at him intently now, "I put you in the most uncomfortable position last night. It was never my intention to burden you with my antics or to violate your space. Please forgive me."

"No apology needed," Remus smiles sadly. "In many ways I overstepped my boundaries as your friend too."

Another awkward pause follows. Aurora looks over at the coffee table and skims the note written in Lily's hand. Turns out the three of them had gotten sloshed and Sirius had crashed at James and Lily's last night. Lily would be sending him home after breakfast.

"He never would've forgiven us," Remus gives Aurora a pained look.

"We would've never forgiven ourselves," she murmurs back.

They leave the rest unspoken.


	8. The Seer's Prophesy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Marauders practice dueling and are introduced to unsavoury fighting tactics. A foreign Seer delivers a startling prophecy in the presence of Aurora and Lily. Lunch at the Leaky Cauldron turns deadly.

**June 1979**

"No, not like that!" Aurora says, slightly annoyed at this point. She walks over to Peter and grabs his wand a little rougher than strictly necessary. "Like this, watch closely." She flicks her wrist in a circular motion, mimicking a figure eight in the air.

"Is that the best you can do, Prongs?" Sirius laughs as he easily thwarts a hex thrown his way by a very flustered looking James.

His spectacles are partially fogged from exertion and his hair stands at awkward angles, more unruly than ever.

"Look who's talking! You cast spells like a nymph!" James ducks quickly to dodge another spell.

Peter is easily distracted by their antics. Aurora groans in frustration by his apparent lack of focus. No wonder McGonagall always seemed like she wanted to tear out her hair during Transfiguration class.

"Would you tossers pipe down over there!? We're trying to work on blocking spells!" Aurora musters her best irritated look and focuses it on the Marauder ring leaders.

"Tsk tsk, Allen, better watch the salty language! What would daddy dearest say?" Sirius is having a difficult time keeping up with James' newly aggressive approach to duelling.

Aurora turns to face her husband, hands on her hips as she observes the two, "You're getting sloppy over there, Black. Are the fleas biting your arse again?"

Sirius turns to her in shock, "Oi!"

Too late. The second he takes his eyes off James, the Quidditch Chaser uses the opportunity to cast a disarming spell with such force that it knocks Sirius off his feet. He lands roughly on the ground, with a dejected _Oof!_ In the process, he has managed to successfully overturn a heap of loose grass that spills over the entire field. James laughs for a moment before offering Sirius his hand. He pulls him gruffly to his feet.

"Guess you forgot the first rule of dueling. Never. Ever. Take your eyes off your opponent," Aurora leans in to high five a positively elated James.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sirius spits out pieces of grass before wiping the front of his jeans. "Never thought I'd see the day where you two are conspiring against me."

James ignores his comment and directs his gaze at Aurora, "This was a really brilliant idea, Rory."

"Hardly," Peter mumbles in the background, but nobody takes notice.

Aurora raises her shoulder, "Dumbledore said that we should be practising whenever we get the chance. We can't afford to be caught off guard. It's practical and a better use of our time than playing Quidditch."

"Just when I thought you were alright, you have go and ruin it," James snorts at her attempt at insulting his favourite pastime.

"Aren't you glad that I married her, Prongs? She's a gem," Sirius grins nonchalantly choosing to acknowledge her with his signature wink.

"Didn't have much of a choice there, did you?" James teases back.

She merely quirks her eyebrow in response and glares back coolly, turning back to face Peter, "Alright, let's just focus on the basics then."

Straightening her back, Aurora takes a ready stance – left leg forward, right leg back, knees bent, fists held up protectively at her face.

"Position your body like mine. The power in your stance comes from being able to put the force of your full weight into the first strike, like so."

Pushing off with her right leg, twisting her torso slightly, Aurora drives her right fist in an uppercut, ending with her fist in the air. Her right foot shifts on the ground forward of her left, still perfectly balanced. James and Sirius have now abandoned their duelling drill to come around to watch the mini-demonstration.

"In an upward curve, ideally you'd be aiming to strike the jaw of your assailant, knocking them off balance. The goal is to use the least amount of energy to incapacitate your opponent—"

"That's all nice and good Allen, but we're _wizards_. We should be focusing on duelling spells, not Muggle fighting techniques," Sirius remarks, as if stating the obvious.

"Yeah, this is silly." Peter agrees nervously.

"What happens if you don't have your wand? What happens if you need to wrestle it away from a Death Eater. These are useful skills to have," Aurora shakes her head at Sirius' ability to dismiss things that he does not yet understand. "Besides, Professor Flitwick would agree with me."

Sirius snorts, "What does Flitwick know?"

"He's a Master Duellist. His advice on duelling and winning fights is credible," Aurora remarks.

James chimes in, "That's right! I almost forgot that good ole Flitwick was a duelling champion back in the day."

"You reckon he's part goblin?" Peter interrupts, playing with the end of his wand, "I mean everyone says so."

Aurora wields around to face him, eyebrows drawn into a frown, "How is that relevant? Even if he is part goblin, what does that have to do with anything? It doesn't take away from the fact that he is a great professor and a very talented wizard." Peter shrinks under her gaze.

Sirius wolf whistles, "I think someone's in love, Prongs."

James and Peter laugh wholeheartedly, effectively eliminating some of the tension in the air.

Aurora blushes, "Don't be silly, I don't have some silly schoolgirl crush on…besides we have more important matters to attend to."

"You're right," James agrees, "Go on Wormtail, show us what Aurora's just taught you," He appears interested enough in getting back to business and encourages Peter to try.

Peter stumbles as he puts too much force into his thrust and nearly topples over failing to replicate Aurora's actions entirely.

"Your fists were too low to begin with. And your legs were too far apart, next time keep them closer together," she tuts.

"Can you teach me something I can actually do?" Peter mumbles defiantly while Sirius and James snicker rather loudly in the background.

"Okay fine," Aurora reaches into her sleeve and unsheathes a concealed knife, "This is a single-edged seax, coated in curare poison. It's only deadly when it contaminates the skin through an open wound."

She hands the blade by its handle to Peter. He examines it closely before tucking it into his belt.

"The benefits to carrying a blade is that it's often easier to conceal than a wand. Just make sure that you hide it in a place that is easily accessible, like the inside of your sleeve. In that case, all that you have left to worry about is coming close enough to—" Aurora forcefully jabs Peter in the soft spot between his ribs with her index finger.

He reacts predictably by leaning toward his side in pain, leaving his wand arm completely exposed. The movement is so swift that it allows the witch to swoop to her left and snatch the wand out of his outstretched right hand. "—physically disarm your assailant."

She looks to Sirius and James triumphantly, hoping to witness a sign that they are impressed. She is alarmed when they are both sporting frowns on their faces.

"A cursed blade? Really?" Sirius scolds. "That's something Bellatrix would do."

James shakes his head. "Curare is really dangerous. It causes the skeletal muscles to weaken and then eventually asphyxiation occurs due to paralysis of the diaphragm. Why do you even have that? It's dark magic and we don't fight dirty."

Facing Peter, James instructs him to return the blade back to Aurora. Peter does not move, instead choosing to watch the argument unfolding between the three of them.

"Thanks for the school lesson, James. I'm very well aware of how this poison functions. Frankly, I'm surprised that you know about it at all," Aurora snorts arrogantly.

James' eyes flash defiantly, but it is Sirius who responds, "Where'd you get that? Your mother? And you wonder why they think she's a dark witch."

"For the last time, she's not a dark witch. This is just a way to even the odds. There is no fighting dirty in war."

Throwing his arms up in the air Sirius bellows, "THAT'S DEATH EATER TALK!"

"No, it's not and you know it," Aurora is getting frustrated now too.

Sirius chooses to ignore her reasoning, "I knew that your family practiced the dark arts, I knew it. This just proves it."

"There's no such thing as dark or light magic, just how magic practitioners interpret it; what one's intentions are—" Aurora attempts to explain, "think of the Cruciatus Curse, you have to _mean_ to cause harm, to _want_ to cause suffering, otherwise it's rendered ineffective."

"I bet Voldemort would argue the same thing," Sirius narrows his steely grey eyes at her.

"Did you just compare me to—?"

"Okay, time out." James steps forward, assuming the role that normally Remus would fulfill as peacekeeper of the group. "Let's just take a break. Rory, I appreciate your enthusiasm to train, but I really don't like this dark magic business."

Sirius scoffs and without another word, he marches determinedly down the hill, seething in his own frustration. Seeing his retreating figure, James shoots Aurora a sympathetic look before following his friend. He calls over his shoulder, "We'll meet you and Lily at the Leaky Cauldron at 2!"

Aurora and Peter are now the only ones left in the deserted field.

"Not everyone's as brave as they are," Peter's quiet words, startle Aurora out of her turbulent thoughts. _How dare Sirius accuse her of being like Voldemort? Who does that spoiled prat think he is? Just an overly emotional Gryffindor._

She inhales slowly before acknowledging the stout wizard, "Yeah well, not everyone can duel like them either. You see what I was trying to teach you right? It's not evil. It's perfectly applicable to the situation."

Peter wavers, "But this is a cursed blade…and it belongs to your mother?"

"That doesn't make it dark magic," Aurora affirms strongly. "Not really." She is beginning to doubt her own words.

Peter just nods. "Thanks, I'll keep in mind what you taught me. Don't know when these tricks will come in handy, right?"

* * *

Things in Diagon Alley have never been tenser. Undercover Aurors are assigned to patrol the streets on Minister Allen's orders. They occasionally stop people at random to question suspicious-looking wizards and witches. A special Ministry decree says that you need to have a government issued document in order to be roaming the area after dark for all non-Ministry personnel.

Shop owners have taken the extra precaution of drawing a _Reveal Line_ at the entrance of their stores. The charm ensures that any concealment magic used to disguise someone will be washed off the moment that they cross the line. This includes anyone under the influence by the likes of a Polyjuice Potion.

And here is Mary Macdonald in the middle of _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions_ who only wants to discuss Sirius Black.

"He's gorgeous really. Still haven't quite figured out how you managed to bag him," seeing the irritated look on Aurora's face, Mary attempts to back peddle, "not that you're not pretty or anything, it's just that you lack a certain level of girliness."

"Girliness?" Aurora glowers at Mary as if she has grown an extra head that wants to eat her.

"You know, like feminine charms. I mean the whole Gothic thing is all fine and dandy, but you should focus on introducing some more colour into your wardrobe."

"I wear colour. Blue, white, purple, grey," Aurora remarks, "on occasion even red."

"When the occasion calls for it that is," Lily smirks mischievously. Mary looks at Aurora confused.

"You try going out in public with him," Aurora grumbles irritably, "every woman that looks at him starts drooling. It's absolutely ridiculous how they proposition him when I'm standing right next to him, when we're clearly wearing matching wedding bands."

"You sure showed him though didn't you? On his birthday, you became the belle of the ball and every bloke with eyes was trying to buy you a drink." Lily raises a pale eyebrow.

Aurora shrugs, "Like I said, a red dress can serve its purpose for the right event."

"Even Moony couldn't tear his eyes from you that night," Lily laughs, now preoccupied with the sequins on a turquoise scarf.

Aurora clears her throat and turns her head. She does not want to be reminded of the night she had ingested Black Crystal and had made advances towards one of her husband's best mates. She is thankful that both Lily and Mary fail to notice her discomfort.

"I still don't get it—" Mary begins.

"Just drop it, Mare. Sirius loves Rory 'cause she's his opposite. He likes that. He likes that he can't his way with her." Lily pulls out a bright pink travelling cloak from the clothes rack and holds it up to her body.

"Doesn't go with your hair," Aurora comments offhandedly, barely looking up from her examination of a stylish yet subtle pair of black charmed gloves.

Looking at the price tag, she scoffs before putting them back on the stand. She peers at the clothing on Lily's side of the aisle before turning her attention back to the gloves in front of her.

"I honestly can't believe my ears, the girl who managed to marry the most eligible wizard at Hogwarts turns her nose at the very mention of his name. The papers claim that you're so in love – I just don't see it!" Disbelief is written all over Mary's face.

"I assure can assure you, nobody drives me madder than him. That's a form of love, isn't it?" Aurora's sarcasm causes Lily to smirk to herself.

"He's positively gorgeous!" Mary continues as if she had not said anything. "I mean like knicker-wetting gorgeous. And the shagging must be mind blowing!"

Aurora partially blushes and partially shudders at the imagery. _Merlin, this is going to be one long shopping trip._

"It's scary to think that all of my best girlfriends are wed now. At this rate, there won't be any good blokes left," Mary puffs up her chest regrettably. "At least I've started dating again, that's something at least."

"Marriage isn't everything," Lily remarks thoughtfully.

Aurora nods. "Many people are rushing into things because of the war, but you shouldn't force these things."

"Well if it isn't the pot calling the kettle black," Mary laughs. "Or is it Mrs. Black in this case."

"Sirius and I are different," she stresses, rolling her eyes in the process. "If my parents hadn't pressed the issue…"

"Lils, have you given any more thought about what you're going to be doing for work. I mean, Potter's money won't last forever you know." Mary flicks back her straight hair, evidently bored with Aurora's explanation of her marital circumstances.

"Well, I was hoping to hold off for a bit," the Gryffindor stammers out. Aurora and Lily exchange a worried look that luckily escapes Mary's notice. "You know with everything going on, it feels like the right thing to do."

With Lily and James being full-time Order members, there really is not an option of securing full time work right now.

Mary glances at the clock above the doorway to the store, "I'm going to have to cut this short, ladies. I actually happen to have a date in thirty minutes." She licks her lips seductively.

Aurora nods, happy to be able to be rid of their somewhat overwhelming former classmate. With a quick toodle-oo, the witch is off to seek out her potential spouse, leaving Aurora and Lily alone with their thoughts.

"This reminds me, we need to get you some new Muggle clothes," the red-head turns to her friend.

"Oh no! I'm not wearing those bell-tops you keep going off about!" Aurora shakes her head vehemently. "And any turtleneck jumpers are also completely off the table."

"It's _bell-bottoms_ and you're right, they're quite horrid. I'll get you to come around on the jumpers though," Lily laughs lightly. "James and I want to see the new _Star Wars_ film, well relatively new, it came out a few years ago. We want you and Sirius to come." She bites her lip at a rainbow coloured trench coat.

"Sounds like a plan," Aurora responds distractedly.

"You're still thinking about meeting with your mother's seer, aren't you?" Lily casually observes.

"It can't hurt to speak with him, especially since he's in London," Aurora reasons quickly. "He never journeys this far west."

"I've never pegged you to be the superstitious kind." Lily flicks through a tabloid magazine before tossing it carelessly to the side. "With all the uncertainty going on right now, does it make sense to be consulting with unreliable oracles?'

"This one is not totally unreliable though." Aurora explains as best she can. "He's predicted things for my mother since she was a girl. She claims he's never been wrong. You may accompany me if you wish."

"Fine, but if something goes wrong, I'm blaming you." Lily jokes, unable to keep the blossoming smile from lighting up her pale features.

"Naturally."

* * *

The two women make their way to perhaps the most famous and shabbiest pub in all of wizarding England. At this time of the day, the grubby downstairs of the establishment is packed with hungry and thirsty patrons looking to alleviate some mid-day stress. Aurora knows that the seer she wishes to consult with is staying upstairs in the bar's private parlour, which is often rented out to witches and wizards that are passing through the city.

Determination in her step, Aurora leads Lily past a group of wizards drinking loudly and playing cards at a large roundtable. Reaching Room 11, she knocks daintily yet does not wait for a response before entering. She finds that the seer has made himself quite at home here.

String bones hang from the ceilings with skulls, stones and dark crystals marked in ancient runes of Yggdrasil. The rest, Aurora deduces from her knowledge of the subject, tells the tale of death and the promise of the Norse afterlife. _Valhalla._ The seer has made the private parlour above the Leaky Cauldron his own personal den for the time being as various dark and disturbing items litter the little table featured as part of the room layout. The curtains are drawn, bathing the room in darkness.

A tall and unseemly figure rocking back and forth in his chair turns to face the two witches. The movement reveals a badly mutilated skull under the overhanging hood of a full-length cowl. He looks like his eyes have been gouged out. The skin is sliced and has been stitched back together over the sockets where his eyes should be. His bare collarbones are covered in a large tattoo that in Aurora's opinion resembles poison ivy leaves.

Next to her, Lily gasps. "Are you sure about this?"

"Positive," Aurora steps forward to curtsy at the feet of the foreigner. "Greetings, O Ancient One."

His back-stained lips part slightly to acknowledge their presence, "Why have you come?"

"For the same reason that others have sought you out. It is known that you see what the Fates have seen. I wish to share that burden with you, if I may." She looks behind her at a visibly disturbed Lily.

"I wish to know the outcome of the war." Aurora speaks again, after a moment of eerie silence has passed.

"Ahh yes, many a great magical beings have asked this same question. I give you the same answer that I gave them. All is not lost."

Aurora cannot help but feel disappointed.

"You ask nothing for yourself?" the seer croaks, "Do you not wish to know the fate of your husband, if you will bare any sons, gain riches beyond your wildest dreams like your famed mother?"

"Yes, I ask a question for myself," Aurora hesitates only briefly. "What will be _my_ fate as a result of this war?"

The old seer groans painfully. "You are innocent in the grip of the darkness that you fail to see. I see your blood dripping and wetting the earth on which you stand. From there, you will sleep. Yes, I see it clearly now. You will sleep. But before that I see a raven. Yes, a raven." The seer goes silent.

"Is—is that all?" Lily asks incredulously. "That doesn't even makes sense!"

Aurora waves her hand to silence her rambunctious friend. The seer ignores the flustered redhead and offers Aurora his open palm. She knows what she must do, but she fears Lily's judging eyes. Wishing to get this part of the meeting over with as soon as possible, she deliberately licks his hand, thereby transferring her knowledge to him. That is his payment.

* * *

"That was interesting," Lily begins, "highly unusual, but interesting."

The duo are descending the rickety staircase as Lily makes a feeble attempt at being polite. Aurora grunts internally. She should not have invited the Muggle-born to accompany her. What will she do when Sirius eventually learns of this? After their argument this morning, Aurora hardly feels up to the task of having to defend her beliefs again.

Lily spots the two Marauders sitting at a small table in a grubby corner, already tearing into their lunch meals of pea soup and steak and kidney pie. Aurora half-heartedly sits in the empty chair to Sirius' right while Lily fills the seat across the table, directly to James' left. Sirius stiffens at her close proximity, evidently still angry about the outcome of their training session earlier that morning when Aurora had given Peter a blade for protection.

"Hope you don't mind, but we ordered for you," James jerks his head at the pea soup and jugs of mead on the table.

"Thanks," Aurora mutters, moving the green liquid around her bowl with an unpolished spoon.

"Rory and I just had the most intriguing encounter with a Norse seer upstairs," Lily goes on to describe their meeting with the mystical man.

James listens on attentively, clearly attracted by the idea of being able to determine one's destiny. Sirius on the other hand wears an unreadable expression on his face.

"So, who is he exactly?" James shifts his head to ask Aurora the most obvious question.

"He's a local oracle from my mother's village back in Norway. My mother regularly returns home to consult with him, but considering some of the stay-at-home orders, she's invited him to England instead."

"And he just came? I was under the impression that these type of seers hold all the power in the village. Are more revered than even the laird." Sirius surprises Aurora with his knowledge of the subject, although she does not openly show it.

"Normally, yes, you cannot summon a seer directly. As it so happens, he foresaw his journey to England anyways."

"How convenient," Sirius' voice still has a bit of an edge to it.

"Quite," Aurora sips on her mead pensively.

"And he—" James wavers, briefly locking eyes with Lily, "he foresaw your death? Doesn't that trouble you?"

"Bullocks! Sounds like being in Divination again." Sirius chuckles darkly at his own joke, but it does little to convince James. "Bet he couldn't predict next week's weather."

"I'm sure it's nothing, Rory. Don't fret." Lily interjects, seeing the faraway look in Aurora's eyes.

"It doesn't fill me with dread, if that's what your wondering. I mean not really." Aurora plays with the tips of her hair, wanting to respond to James' inquiry directly. "As I understand it, his prophecies are deliberately ambiguous. The prophecy must only be fully realized once it's too late to change it; but it may not spell out my death exactly."

"How do you mean?" James presses again.

"I once heard of an instance where a usurper to a chieftain's throne met with this seer to determine his fate. The seer saw an eagle. An eagle that he claimed flew over the usurper. That the eagle _was_ the usurper." Aurora frowns into her alcoholic drink.

She then spares a downward glance at her pea soup that has since grown cold.

"Isn't an eagle a good omen?" James looks slightly puzzled. "A sign of courage and balance and all that?"

"Normally yes. However, in this case the chieftain reclaimed his throne after winning a battle against the usurper and his forces. They performed a blood eagle on him after he was captured. Essentially, he was given a death sentence for his act of treason."

"A blood what?" Lily speaks up.

"It's a ritual where the victim is placed in a prone position with their ribs severed from the spine…That part is usually done with a hacksaw…. Then their lungs are pulled through the opening to create a pair of wings, so to speak. It's a brutal way to die, even for an execution." Aurora demonstrates the severity of the ceremony by mimicking specific actions with her hands.

"Sounds like something a Death Eater would do." Sirius chimes in warningly.

"As you can see, the prophecy was correct. The usurper just misinterpreted what it meant until it was too late to change it." Aurora ignores Sirius' latest comment about Death Eaters.

"Bloody hell." James takes off his spectacles to wipe them down with a napkin. "Is there no way that you can change your destiny, even if you get the gist of what that git is trying to tell you?"

"Many would argue no, but I think that it's possible. I refuse to believe that we cannot escape our fate." Aurora pauses a moment to reflect. "Or maybe… maybe every possible outcome of a situation has already been foreseen but that one's individual actions dictate what outcome prevails."

"How would someone prevent this though? Like if the usurper had become an Animagus that took the form of an eagle, could that have spared him death?" Sirius leans in, curiosity written all over his face, his irritation apparently momentarily forgotten.

"I think you may be onto something, Black," the two share sideways smiles.

Sirius is not as arrogant as James when it comes to compliments, but he does have an abnormally large ego. At least, that is in Aurora's humble opinion.

"When he says you'll bleed and then you'll sleep, that doesn't have to mean death then?" James blurts. "Am I right?"

"Right. Sometimes in dreams, blood loss is synonymous with a reduction of power or wealth," Aurora is not sure who she is trying to reassure more, herself or her friends.

And that is when the street explodes.


End file.
